The Legacy of Luin
by Mcnilla
Summary: Luin's a great town. It makes a great name too.Go on try it. Now add Aurion behind it and what do you get? A retelling of the Tales adventure throwing my own character in the mix. Constructive criticism appreciated. Various pairings ensue. R
1. Prologue

So here we are. I got this idea the other day...well couple days ago and decided to go for it. So this is my first fanfic I've ever written and I'm hoping it won't be an epic fail but at least it'll be fun to write. Especially with my sister here for some inspiration. So here...we...go.

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_**The Legacy of Luin**_

_Prologue _

_ The wind rustled the leaves on the trees looming overhead. There was nothing but blissful silence all around, it seemed like even the animals and monsters of the forest took pleasure in this temporary period of silence. A silence that was suddenly broken by the pitter-patter of footsteps. The figure to whom these steps belonged was now running away from something…or actually it was a lot of somethings. He weaved in and out of trees, jumped over logs like he'd been doing it all his life, which in a way he had, not the jumping part but the running away part. _

_ The figure kept running, he never looked back, because that was a big no-no, look back and you'll either hit something or trip over a log. Experience had taught him that. So he ran as fast as his feet could take him which was pretty fast now that he thought about it, he once raced an elf through the Ymir Forest and won. The fugitive chuckled at the memory, he won a lot of gald that day. He broke through the edge of the forest into a wide plain. The plain was quite wide and was filled to the brim with wildlife and vegetation, and right in the center of it all was a house, his house to be exact. _

_ It was a simple one-story house, a shade of green and the roof was brown. It had one bedroom, one bathroom, and a room where he cooked his food and sat by the window and watched the world go by. As you could tell this guy was pretty lonely but right now he couldn't care less about his emotional standing as he was about to have a lot of company. He broke down his front door (A shame really, the door was such fine wood) and sprinted to the part of his house where he had been sleeping for the past one thousand, three hundred and twenty-four years. As you could tell this man was quite old but if you looked at him he didn't look a day over twenty-four. Short brown hair, wine colored eyes, and a body that any man would kill to have and any woman would kill to…well, you get the point._

_ The man opened his closet and reached into the back to take out a bag. A simple bag filled with simple things, clothes, gald, an assortment of do-dads and watchyamacallits. He then looked to his right and looked to the spot above his bed, where his most precious weapon lay. He approached the weapon gingerly and ran a hand along the sheathe, quickly reliving a lifetime of memories where that very sword caused him to feel every sort of emotion a human can think of. Anger, happiness, grief, ecstasy you name it and he's probably felt it. He lifted the sword off its stand and wrapped it in a magical cloth he had received many years ago. He tied said sword onto said bag and hefted both onto his right shoulder. Then he took one last look at the home that he had literally built with his bare hands. He sighed and then with eyes filled with determination he grabbed a sword he had standing by the door and walked outside. _

_ The odd figure stepped outside into the sunlight and looked out in front of him. There before him was a legion of men with wings on their backs. Angels was what the public called them, he knew them as lifeless beings. All of them equipped with swords, bows and arrows, spears. You name it and there was probably a man who was wielding a weapon. No not man, monsters. He used to be one of them too, albeit a bit more sophisticated and of a higher ranking but still, he could not run from his sins, not any more. He turned his back on the organization he used to serve and because of that they sent a legion of angels to kill him. How thoughtful. The man lifted his head up and gazed at the bright blue sky, not a cloud in the sky. _

_"Hmmm…" the man thought, " What a beautiful day to die."_

_ The fugitive then looked over at the angels who were just standing there, ready, alert and waiting. The man wondered who his leader had sent to slay him, a man he had been friends with for who knows how long. The angels were parting ways for someone, he couldn't quite make the figure out but he knew before he could see him who it was. He knew because of a bond that transcended any kind of friendship or relationship, the bond of brotherhood. That bastard had sent his brother to deal with him._

_The fugitive chuckled, "Well, at least he knows how to keep things interesting." the man said to himself._

_ After minutes of suspense, the brother finally made it past the angels and began making his way towards the fugitive. As the brother moved closer, the man got a good look at his brother who looked the same as always. Auburn hair that hung in front of his eyes, eyes the same tone of dark brown as his, he was about three inches taller than himself and he was currently in his mercenary outfit today. This outfit consisted of white shoes with purple stripes that connected to long purple pants that was secured by two belts (Even if he was his brother, the fugitive could never figure out what was his deal with belts). He wore a purple sleeveless shirt which contained two diamond shaped holes in the center of his chest. On his arms were gloves that went up to his bicep, these was purple as well. All of this was covered up by a cape that covered his arms and split apart into two at the back. Even with this ridiculous getup he still went unnoticed by people fifty percent of the time, it was the oddest thing._

_ The brother stopped about ten feet in front of him and for a moment they merely stared at one another, preparing themselves for what would be one of the most difficult thing they had to do, kill their kin. After what seemed like hours, the brother spoke…_

_"Luin." He said with no emotion at all._

_"Kratos." The fugitive, Luin, responded with an equal amount of emotion._

_"Luin…do you have any idea what your doing?" Kratos asked._

_"Yea I do, I'm finally doing what I want to do, I'm facing my crimes brotha, and I wish for you to do the same" Luin answered with no hint of hesitation. Kratos sighed at his brother's determination, that was always something Kratos could never understand, why go against an organization that had the entire world, no worlds in their hand, simply for freedom. Kratos scoffed at this, there was no such thing as freedom, he had learnt that long ago, around the same time he lost hope in humanity and elves alike._

_"You realize that if you resist…I'm going to have to kill you." Kratos said, with a hint of sorrow in his voice._

_"I know Kratos, I know." Luin said. _

_"Then tell me why Luin? Why are you doing this, just give me that at least." Kratos asked with a determination of his own._

_ Luin sighed and looked up at the sky, and asked himself the very same question. Then he remembered everything, the loss, the pain, the cruelty of it all. What his organization did sickened him to his core…and he was no better. At least, he was willing to turn his back on the organization, even if it cost him his life. He would not stand for one more loss of innocent life. Not again. _

_ Luin looked his brother in the eyes and he lifted his sword and pointed it at his brother, "Because brother, I won't stand by an organization that treats life like shit, I won't stand for a man who has lost his mind in grief and takes out his anger on two worlds that are being cheated out of life. .Day. I'm going against all of you so that I can look myself in the mirror and not lose my stomach from the guilt. I'm rebelling because It's the right thing to do Kratos." _

_Kratos stared at his brother for a long, long time. Then he sighed and with one final look at his brother said to him, _

_"If you feel that way, I hope you have the strength to stand by that choice" _

_ And with that Kratos turned away from his brother, his only sibling. Luin stared at his brother's retreating back and said loud enough so that his brother could hear him, _

_"Brotha, one day your eyes will be opened to the sins of the world, I don't know how but it will. When that time comes, when you realize the gravity of your sins to these worlds, I promise you I will be there for you…I promise you that Kratos Aurion."_

_ Kratos continued to walk undisturbed and when he reached the angels that had been hand-picked for this mission, he sighed and told them the words he would later regret for the rest of his life, _

_"Kill him, Kill Luin Aurion."_

_ With the order given, the angels descended upon Luin, but oddly enough he felt at peace. He felt that he had finally achieved…what did those Mizuhoens called it again…Oh yea, Inner peace. For the first time in who knows how long, Luin felt that his Ying and his Yang were finally balanced, his mind was clear and his soul was at peace. Luin smiled at the angels who looked at him with their emotionless faces and Luin began to laugh as he ran towards them. Luin was so happy, he hadn't been this happy in centuries and he wasn't about to make it short-lived. No way in hell. So as he dropped angel after angel and he parried blow after finger-numbing blow, he pushed on, he persevered. He wanted to live, live for the future he would create for himself, a life against Cruxis, a life he could devote himself whole-heartily to, a life where he could live on his own for his own. _

_ The battle was long and it was tiring, Luin had taken three stabs, about ten slashes of varying depth and he was pretty sure he had seven broken fingers. He was tired, panting and barely standing and yet when the next angel came at him with a stab, he knocked the sword to the side and with a flick of his sprained wrist, lobbed off the angel's head. As that angel fell, two more came at him and now he was at eleven slashes but two more were added to his list of the dead. He felt a sudden hot pain in his knee and he yelped in pain as he took a hard hit to the spine and he fell to his knees. He looked up and saw the angels surrounding him slowly, they knew that he couldn't fight for longer, but he'd be damned if they took him that easily. When one angel stepped forward and drew his sword back to behead him, Luin rolled to the side and carried his sword with him and managed to take out another one but then a well placed arrow broke through the flesh of his hand and with that he dropped his sword. Clutching his hand he looked up at the archer who readied the arrow to end him, the arrow that would end the life of Luin Aurion. As the archer took aim, the most surprising thing happened. A bolt of lighting hit him square in the chest and the arrow let loose, missing Luin by inches and killing the angel behind him. Talk about lucky._

_ Had Martel really come to save him, had her soul somehow yearned for him to live so much that it interfered with the works of fate? He then saw an arrow kill another angel on the side and looked to the forest where an army of men, who were dressed in helmets that covered their eyes, red long sleeved shirts and long brown pants, ran out the forest and embraced the legion of angles. Luin looked all around him seeing swords slash, angel and humans alike killing each other. Luin felt quite out of place, so he found a sword and started stabbing at any angel that got to close. Hah! Take that fate. However even though his spirit could have fought ten more battles his body was heavily damaged and decided to tell Luin the old fashioned way, by making him lose consciousness. Before the comforting arms of darkness embraced Luin, he looked up at the clear blue sky and thought for the second time today._

_"Man…today is a great day to die."_

_ And with that Luin Aurion faded into oblivion. After the battle had ended, a figure with blue hair and a long flowing cape came and began chanting a spell, after a couple of seconds a circle formed around the unconscious Luin and mana began healing the most threatening wounds. This man was Yuan. Maybe it wasn't the Goddess Martel, great protector and nurturer of the earth, but it was the next best thing, her fiancé. Close enough._

_

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Well, I hoped you enjoyed the prologue. I decided I'll do a set of prologues before to set the background for Luin meeting Lloyd and the others. Till next time._


	2. Prologue II

Hello again readers (If there's any of you out there) Prologue numero dos is here yay! :D Hope you like it.

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**The Legacy of Luin**

_Prologue II-Mr. Ambiguous_

Iselia was a beautiful place to live. There was an air of tranquility in the air regardless of the fact that about two miles away laid one of those abominations known as Human Ranches. It was a simple town with simple needs, this was one of the many reasons why Luin loved this place more than any other town in Sylvarant. Now if you asked him which was his favorite town in both worlds, he'd have to go with Flanoir, those eastern lights just struck him speechless every time. Now Luin was merely 'vacationing' as he called it, which meant that he was trying really hard to avoid Yuan so he wouldn't have to do a mission or something like that.

See, years ago Yuan saved his life and gave him the chance to live a new life, of course he asked for a favor every now and then, but lately it seemed he had been asking more and more favors from him. Ok sure the first six favors, Luin could understand but ten favors in the past year? He might as well have just killed Luin, but alas that explained his current predicament.

If Luin could only use one word to describe Iselia, he'd have to use the word Awesome. Why? Easy, because it was the only place Yuan would never ever find him and also because he enjoyed the peace. Now Luin was merely looking for a place to stay when he overheard a couple of women talking and he couldn't help but overhear them,

"Oh Coral did you hear about Dirk." A woman asked Coral.

"No. Did something happen?" Coral asked the woman with concern.

"Dirk found a woman-"

"Oh that's just splendid! I've always thought that-"

"Will you let me finish my sentence please?" the woman asked with a hint of impatience. When Coral nodded her head, she went on,

"He found a woman dying in the forest. Apparently she had fallen off a cliff and he found her AND her son."

Coral gasped at this, "Oh my, is the little dear alright?"

"He's fine and when I heard that I went to Mr. Dirk to see if he would give me the child because come on Coral, a dwarf raising a child? That's just unheard of." the woman stated, " But he simply said he was going to be raising the boy and practically slammed the door in my face. It seems like he's already developed some sort of bond with the boy."

"Oh my," Coral said, "Well what's the boy's name?"

"He said that the boy's name was Lloyd."

Luin head snapped around so quick he could swear he damaged his neck, and because of that he didn't see the rock in front of him but before he could say anything he tripped and fell to the ground. 'Dammit, what was the big no-no again?' He thought. He quickly got up and began reasoning with himself. Years ago Yuan had told him that Kratos and Anna had had a son named Lloyd but…there was no way. He had even seen the little guy when they had been visiting the base in the Triet desert. Of course Kratos didn't know who he was at the time but, he could see that his brother had finally seen peace and for the first time in centuries Kratos looked…happy.

There was no way this Lloyd could be his brother's son, which would make him his nephew. It was too illogical and the coincidence so unlikely that Luin almost turned around and walked away, almost. Yet somehow Luin found himself chatting with the two nice young women and found the directions to this Dirk person's house. He ran with all his might to the place where he was told the house would be and as he neared he slowed down and eventually stopped and stared.

The house was a nice two-story house, with a terrace to boot. There were different types of pots and plants scattered around the property but what caught his attention was the animal in front of the house. The animal then turned it's head around to stare at him and Luin eyes visibly widened.

"There's no way..."

Luin said to himself in disbelief as he stared on at the animal-type thing that was Noishe. Now most people call Noishe a monster, or a dog but the truth is that Noishe is a protozoan. A form of life that keeps evolving every couple thousands of years, you see dear people Noishe is now in the form of an Orion, soon however he will transform into a powerful fish next and finally a kickass demon slaying warrior. Yea, no one really knows how that one works out but that's what the elves told him so he decided to just go with the flow. However all of this irrelevant information merely confirmed one thing for Luin. He had found Lloyd, his nephew but more importantly, he had just found Kratos' son. Crap.

Now many plans formed in his mind, but the one he decided with was to turn around, leave this place and never ever look back. So Luin was quite surprised when he found himself knocking on Dirk's door.

'Curse you body, how could you betray me?' Luin thought before the door opened.

Now the first thing that Luin noticed was that Dirk….was short. Really short, but that's to be expected from a male dwarf. He wore brown boots with blue overalls, underneath that he could see Dirk was wearing a light blue button up shirt. Another thing Luin noticed was that Dirk had a peculiar manner of speech. Here's how Luin and Dirk's first conversation went,

"Hello" Dirk said in his rich foreign accent.

"Ah…umm…Hi. I heard you had found a boy in the forest is that true?" Luin asked

"Aye, I found him and his mother on the bottom of the cliff face." That was what Dirk had actually said but to Luin's untrained ears it sounded like so,

"Aye, I 'ound him n his muther on the 'ottom of the cliff 'ace."

Whoa…talk about lost in translation.

"Um…sorry I didn't really get all that, did you say you found him at the bottom of a…cliff?" Luin asked making sure he got it right.

"Aye, why do you ask? Are you going to try and take him away from me too?" Dirk asked reaching his hand behind the door, for a weapon most likely.

"No no no, well you see…gosh how do I explain this?" Luin then lifted his head up and thought for a moment before coming up with a decision.

'Best to tell the truth…well, some of the truth anyway.' Luin thought to himself before he reached out his hand towards the dwarf who was looking at Luin suspiciously.

"I am Lloyd's older brotha you see, and after I heard what happened I traveled all the way to Iselia to look for him. Now before you get defensive, I'm not taking him away from you, quite the contrary actually. I wish to be able to stay with you and Lloyd. I won't be here all the time mind you but when I am here I just want to be able to help raise the little guy…yah know?" Luin asked with as much sympathy as he could muster.

Dirk looked at the man standing before him scrutinizing him from the tip of his head to the shoes. Now that Dirk thought about it, he noticed the man's unusual getup. The man had to be about six foot and his hair was raven black and tied in a short ponytail. The man looked like he had a good build and he didn't look a day over twenty-four. Dirk was surprised to see that the man wore leggings that connected with this shoes, the leggings were a lighter shade of blue and had a black stripe running from the tip of the toe to the knee of the legging. The leggings were slightly covered by short black pants that were outlined in the same kind of blue as the leggings. The man had one blue belt that secured his pants. He wore a black shirt that had no sleeves and was also outlined in blue. That was all the dwarf could see because of a long-sleeved midnight black coat that covered his arms up to his wrist. All Dirk could see was a pair of blue gloves that extended up to the base of his fingers and was covered with some kind of metal on his knuckles.

Most surprising of all was the fact that the man wore round black shades that just hid his eyes from sight. Dirk looked at his reflection in the glasses and said,

"You seem a lil' odd but for some reason I believe I can trust ya. Just know that if you do anything to endanger this boy, I'll kill you."

And the look Dirk gave Luin told him that Dirk was dead serious.

Luin smirked, Lloyd was in good hands, very good hands indeed. Dirk then asked Luin another question,

"So what should I call you?" Dirk asked.

"Hmmm…" Luin thought, he needed a way to remain unknown just incase his brother was still looking for his son, then the idea hit him and he chuckled at his cleverness.

Luin then turned and put his fists on his waist and looking back at Dirk said,

"You can call me," Luin paused dramatically, "Mr. Ambiguous!"

Dirk looked at Luin like he was the most idiotic person in all of Sylvarant.

"You're serious?" Dirk asked.

"Quite serious, you see there are people who might be looking for Lloyd as well and if they knew that I was here then they would definitely know that this Lloyd is the Lloyd they seek. So for everyone's safety I won't tell you my name now but don't worry you'll find out soon enough."

Luin then put his hand out to Dirk,

"So, can I count on you Dirk to help protect and raise Lloyd as if he was one of your own kin?"

Dirk smiled and grasped Luin's hand and shook it saying,

"No problem, if anybody tries to harm my boy', I'll give 'em an injury they won't soon forget."

Luin laughed at this and then he noticed a tiny figure hiding behind of the supporting beams for the house. He nodded in the boy's general direction and Dirk turned and looked at little Lloyd. Then he gently turned to him and said,

"Come 'ere Lloyd. There's someone who wants to meet ya."

Lloyd then walked from behind the beam and slowly made his way to Dirk, he stared at Luin for the longest time and Luin could only stare at him. Little Lloyd was probably only three and yet he was half-way as tall as Dirk, he was wearing a red shirt that was a size too big and some short pants that had some holes in them. His hair was the a dark reddish brown and it was currently looking very messy. Lloyd looked at him with big curious chocolate brown eyes, eyes that held no evil. His eyes looked just like Anna's. It was then that Lloyd spoke to Luin for the first time,

"Hello there mister, are you here to take me away too?"

Lloyd asked and Luin could swear that a part of him cracked at the sound of pure loss in Lloyd's voice. Then anger began to take form, anger at the bastards who did this to him, but Luin suppressed it as he always had, he was very good at suppressing emotion. Luin bent down and shook his head,

"No kiddo, I'm here to help raise you with Mr. Dirk." Luin then reached a hand out to Lloyd, "You see, I'm your brother."

Lloyd eyes then got wider and he gently put his tiny little hand into Luin's gloved one. He then ran to Luin and gave him a hug. Then he whispered into Luin's ear, words that Luin would never forget,

"I'm so glad…that at least the bad people didn't take you too."

With those words Lloyd began to sob onto Luin's shoulder and Luin wrapped his arms around Lloyd and squeezed him tight. Luin had never felt such a rush of emotion all at once. All because of a boy, his nephew, who had had his life unfairly torn away from him for reasons he would never learn of. Not for a while anyway. Luin vowed there and then that no matter what he would have his vengeance on the men who did this to Lloyd. Lloyd never knew this but his words acted as a catalyst to break Luin out of his lazy behavior and into becoming an active Renegade. Luin let go of the boy and took off his shades and looked Lloyd in the eyes.

"I promise you Lloyd, I promise you that I will take care of you and I WILL get revenge on those that did this to you, this I swear."

Luin said with a voice so full of determination and promise that Dirk couldn't help but be moved. Lloyd of course had no idea what those words meant but he knew that his new-found brother had promised him something good so he nodded and wiped away a stray tear from Luin's face.

"Okie Dokey Mr.…?" Lloyd asked

"Luin." Luin said, he didn't bother hiding his name from Lloyd. "My name is Luin Aurion."

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So there's prologue II. It's a little hard to try and write how Dirk speaks, I always wonder what his accent is but can never seem to place it. Little Lloyd is so cute hehe. Well till next time.

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	3. Prologue III

Hey there dudes! Here's prologue three, Luin gets to meet the Chosen and there's some more Luin/Lloyd bonding. Yay!

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_**The Legacy of Luin**_

_Prologue III: The Chosen and I_

After Luin introduced himself to Dirk and little Lloyd, he stayed for about a week, running around the house with Lloyd and learning to cook from Dirk but more importantly it was bonding time for the two Aurions. Although Dirk and Luin decided that for his safety, Lloyd will have his last name changed to Irving. It was also decided that they would never tell Lloyd that his parents were killed by desians, they'd blame it on an accident and Noishe…well Luin decided that it'd be much better just to keep his identity a dog. Yes, so much easier.

At the end of the week, Luin grabbed his bag and went to where Lloyd's room was. He then sat down on the bed with Lloyd and watched him sleep. He brushed a stray strand of hair out of Lloyd's face and just stared at little Lloyd. He could feel the bond growing between himself and Lloyd and he could understand why Dirk was so reluctant to give up Lloyd, he was a good kid. Luin knew that Lloyd would undoubtedly grow into a great man someday. As he got up from the bed, little Lloyd's eyes fluttered open and he stared at Luin as he walked away.

"Luin" Lloyd asked softly. Luin turned around and looked at Lloyd,

"Yes Lloyd?" He asked.

"Are you leaving?" Lloyd asked curiously. Luin chuckled and moved towards Lloyd,

"Ya know, for a kid you're pretty observant." Luin stated and then he played with Lloyd's messy hair,

"Yea I am."

"Where are you going?" Lloyd asked.

"I'm going to visit a friend so I can help him with…a job." Luin said and nodded, satisfied with his answer.

Lloyd nodded his head and for a moment looked like he was about to cry and then he reached his arms out and Luin gave Lloyd a hug and said,

"Please be careful." Luin gripped him tighter and whispered back,

"Don't worry I will." he responded and he lied Lloyd back down onto the bed and pointed at him,

"You need to be good to Dirk and listen to what he says ok? He may not be your real dad but he's still your father ok little bro?" Luin said

Lloyd nodded and with that Luin poked him on the nose and he turned around and before he left the room whispered,

"Good Night Lloyd."

"Good Night Luin." Lloyd responded before he turned over and drifted off into blissful sleep.

As Luin descended the stairs, he saw that the door was open and so with his bag on his shoulder he walked out the door and saw Dirk staring up at the stars. Dirk turned to look at Luin and then he tipped his head to the side and began to walk to the side of the house. Luin followed him and was surprised to see Dirk stand next to the gravestone.

'Had that always been there?' Luin thought to himself

Dirk stopped a foot away from the gravestone and Luin stood next to him admiring the craftsmanship of the monument. It was made of what appeared to be granite and it was the words on the stone that made him gasp.

Anna Irving

A beloved wife

And a caring mother

May the Great Goddess bless

and protect her soul.

After a moment, Dirk finally spoke,

"I buried 'er here after I found Lloyd but I just finished the grave marker today. I thought you should see it 'fore you go."

Luin just nodded and waited for Dirk to speak again.

"I don't know where you're going or what you plan to do but I hope whatever you do…just don't get yerself killed Luin. Lloyd really cares for you and I don't want to have to make another grave marker for another member of his family."

Luin looked up at the stars in the sky,

"Dirk…thank you so much. For finding Lloyd, for burying Anna…I can't possibly thank you enough." He looked back at Dirk before continuing,

"Don't worry, I won't die. As you'll soon come to find Dirk, I never make promises I can't keep. I'll keep living, for myself, for Lloyd" Luin then turned to look at Anna's grave mark, "and for her as well." Luin made a silent promise to himself, 'For you as well, brotha.'

He turned towards Dirk,

"I don't know when I'll be back, it could be days, weeks, months at the most but I promise you, I'll always come back." Luin smiled and he put his hand on Dirk's shoulder,

"I have the utmost faith in you Dirk, I know I can count on you. I'll see you when I see you."

As Luin began to walk away, Dirk yelled out,

"Wait! I forgot to tell ya something?"

"What is it?" Luin asked seriously.

"It's about Anna, well something I found with Anna." Dirk said and then he took out a small bag, put his hand into the bag and pulled out a tiny, lustrous blue orb. It was an exsphere. Something was different about this exsphere, of that Luin was sure. Why else would desians chase Anna and Kratos around TWO worlds just to retrieve it.

"It's an exsphere but it feels different." Luin said as he took the little orb into his hands.

"Aye, that's what I thought too, it's larger than a normal exsphere and it seems to glow faintly." Dirk said and Luin noticed these things as well.

"Hide it, put it in a safe hiding spot. I'll do some research and see what's so special about it." Luin said and with that he turned around and moved away from Dirk.

"Good-Bye Luin, Good luck with whatever the future brings ya." Dirk said as he began to move towards his front door.

"Good bye Dirk," Luin chuckled as he turned to look at the spot where Lloyd's bedroom was, "Good luck with little Lloyd."

With that Luin began his trek through the forest and re-entered the rebellious life of a Renegade.

* * *

It would be two more months before Luin would see little Lloyd again and after that it would be another five months. It seemed that being part of a super top secret organization that rebelled against the superpower of two worlds was a lot of work. Luin had been out on little missions like seek and destroy some important desians or to escort human ranch escapees out to a safe area and other tedious assignments that didn't seem all that important but actually were in the much larger picture.

So of course that heavily interfered with that precious Aurion bonding time that Luin looked forward to but it could be worse. Much, much worse. Things worked out in the end however because as soon as Lloyd turned five years old, Dirk set the little guy up in Iselia's only school. It wasn't much but it would do the job just fine Dirk and Luin thought, but neither he nor Dirk could have foreseen the two sets of people who he would befriend, the Chosen of Regeneration and a half-elf from another world.

So imagine Luin's surprise when he came back from an extremely successful mission (A desian raid) to see Lloyd playing outside…with a girl. Luin just stopped and stared at the pair as they ran around in circles, undoubtedly playing a game of tag. Luin snickered too himself,

'Oh Lloyd, you sly fox. Only been to school for a couple of weeks and you already got yourself a girlfriend.' Luin thought as he walked over quite loudly as to make himself known to the children.

Upon seeing him Lloyd's eyes got huge and a ear-splitting grin spread across his face before he sprinted into Luin's open arms. 'It's a good thing none of the guys at the base saw this, they'd say he'd gone soft.' Luin thought jokingly. Which in a manner of speaking he had ,but no one else needed to know that did they? He smiled down at little Lloyd and ruffled his hair and said,

"Hey Kiddo, how's it going? And who's your pretty friend?"

Luin asked as he nodded over to the girl who was now clutching her white dress and staring at Luin with curious blue eyes. The girl was no bigger than Lloyd and her eyes were a brilliant shade of blue, her hair was blonde and her skin was a bit pale. She looked shy but when Lloyd motioned for her to come over she smiled and started to move towards them…that was until she tripped. Lloyd burst out laughing as he moved to help the poor girl up but Luin just stared.

'Something's odd about this one…' Luin thought to himself before he moved closer to the girl and reached out a hand.

"Hello there, I'm Luin. Are you hurt?" He asked gingerly

"No but thanks for asking" She said before she flashed him a cute little smile and then she backed up and bowed towards Luin.

"My name's Collette, I'm Lloyd's friend." she said.

"Is that so?" Luin asked looking at her and then at Lloyd, then back to Collette.

"Yep." She said as a-matter-of-factly.

"She trips a lot though bro but she's really nice and super smart and oh! Guess what?" Lloyd asked as he looked up at Luin.

"What's that Lloyd?" Luin asked in return, a habit he had picked up over the years.

"She's the Chosen of Rege…Regen…" Lloyd scrunched up his face and stuck his tongue out before he snapped his fingers in realization,

"Regeneration…yea that's it, Collette's gonna regenerate the world. Isn't that so cool Luin!?" Lloyd asked excitedly before he took notice of the hardening of Luin's features.

'No…not this sweet little girl.' Luin thought as he clenched his hands into tight fists, 'Damn you Cruxis, Damn you all to hell.' Luin silently cursed before plastering a smile on his face.

"That's just…awesome buddy, umm why don't you guys play outside some more. I'm going to go talk to your dad ok?"

Luin said before turning towards the house and leaving a puzzled Collette and an even more puzzled Lloyd but being at the tender age of five and already showing early signs of an incredibly short attention span, he merely shrugged, tagged Collette and ran away before moments later Collette began to run after Lloyd and their game began again.

Luin opened the door to Dirks incredibly homey house and sank in the closest seat he could find, which was a finely crafted chair a little ways off from the front door.

"Oi, I do believe you be sittin' in me chair." A voice said from the kitchen and when Luin looked up he saw none other than the friendly face of Dirk. Luin made to rise but Dirk just waved him away,

"I was joking Luin, please sit you look exhausted." Dirk said before heading to the kitchen, " Want me to make you something to eat?" Dirk asked before turning back to Luin who was merely staring a hole into the ground.

Dirk then made his way and put a hand on Luin's shoulder before asking,

"What' be the matter with ya?"

"Why Dirk?" Luin asked while facing the floor.

"Why what Luin?" Dirk asked cautiously.

"Of all the people in the world, why her? Why would they make that sweet little girl the Chosen of Regeneration? It's so…unfair." Luin said as he looked up with what Dirk assumed to be pity in his eyes although Dirk couldn't see because of Luin's oddly rounded black shades.

"I don' know Luin. Fate, the Goddess Martel or whatever has a horrible sense of humor" Dirk said while he sighed and looked out the door at the playing children,

"But we have to do what we can for her. Every day she lives is a day closer to her inevitable death. The least we can do is offer her support and friendship right?" Dirk said before turning back to Luin.

"I don't know Dirk…I don't think I can do it again." He then looked at Dirk as he said, " I don't think I can grow close to her and…and watch her give up her life for nothing."

"Again? Are you saying you assisted a previous Chosen Luin?" Dirk asked inquisitively. Luin just shook his head.

"Yes but it was a very long time ago." Luin responded truthfully. The last Chosen he had traveled with was named Estelle Estrioma and she was the 145th Chosen to give her life to save Sylvarant.

"Just how old are you Luin?" Dirk asked. Even if Luin had been coming and going he still knew hardly anything about him other than the fact that he was odd and he was definitely related to Lloyd by blood, he could see some similarities, some Aurion traits. Luin just chuckled and looked at the wall but it seemed he was in a far away land. A land filled to the brim with blood and discrimination, war and death. A land that ceased to exist years ago.

"Too old Dirk…too damn old." Luin all but whispered.

"So what was this Chosen's name?" Dirk asked.

"What Chosen?" Luin asked back, looking innocently confused.

"The Chosen ya said ya knew?" Dirk asked again, getting a little annoyed with Luin's trick.

"You mean Collette?" Luin asked as he smiled and nodded to the little girl who ran after Lloyd into the house and once again tripped on a rock. Everyone in the house emitted a simultaneous sigh before going to the young girl's aid.

"Thank you" Collette said to the men in the house before standing next to Lloyd. The boy previously mentioned then looked to Dirk and tugged on his sleeve.

"Hey Dad, can you help me make some sandwiches?" Lloyd asked while fruitlessly trying to pull Dirk to the kitchen counter in the corner of the house.

"Alright you little munchkin" Dirk said as Lloyd puffed out his chest and looked up to Dirk.

"Dad! I'm almost as tall as you now so you can't call me a little munchkin anymore." Lloyd stated to Dirk who merely laughed and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Oh? Well if yer such a big boy then you should be able to make two simple sandwiches right?" Dirk said as he smirked in that all-knowing way.

"Well of course" Lloyd said as he started collecting ingredients, "I just wanted you to make sure I was doing right."

"Of course Lloyd." Dirk said as he watched his son attempt to cut a tomato but ended up cutting himself instead.

"Ow!" Lloyd yelled before putting his finger in his mouth and sucking on it and his eyes started watering but he blinked in an attempt to stop them,

Dirk just sighed and went to get the bandages while Collette went to Lloyd's side and asked if he was alright or ok and Luin, well Luin just chuckled and walked outside and stared at the sky. He then turned around and looked at Collette, Lloyd's first friend, and the girl who would waste her life on a twisted system.

"You sure do know how to pick 'em Lloyd." Luin said to himself as he thought about events long past.

* * *

After that visit to Lloyd (which lasted two refreshing weeks) Luin had to leave and return to his highly exhilarating life as a rebel. Whoop-tee-do! This is irrelevant as it would be two and a half more years before Lloyd would meet his bestest friend in the whole wide universe. It would be a few months after Lloyd's seventh birthday, this day is important for two reasons. First off, it was Lloyd's birthday, but more importantly, it was the day that Luin decided to give Lloyd his mother's keepsake, her Cruxis Crystal or as everyone else called it, The Angelus Project.

Lloyd could still remember when his big brother came to him after the day was over and Collette had gone back home. He was still excited from all the wonderful presents he got, two wooden swords from Dirk, a cake from Collette and now he was getting something from Luin too. So when Luin entered the room, Lloyd was standing, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet. Luin saw this and laughed before saying,

"Alright, alright calm down kid. If you keep bouncing like that I think you might hit your head on the roof soon."

Lloyd looked up at the ceiling, pondering for a moment if he could actually do that before his attention was focused on a small brown bag Luin had taken out his pocket. It looked dusty and a bit weathered but then Luin turned the bag upside down, gave it a good shake and out popped a round orb. Luin and Lloyd both stared at the tiny blue orb before a curious Lloyd asked,

"What is that Bro?"

Luin didn't answer immediately instead he picked Lloyd up and sat him on the bed, then he got a chair and pulled it in front of Lloyd so that he was eye level with him. Luin took off his shades, revealing tired dark brown eyes and set them on the bedside table. Then he took a gold casing and he placed the shiny blue orb in there and for a while he stared at Lloyd. Now Lloyd had known his brother for a long time and knew that look meant two things, either Lloyd had done something wrong and was about to get lectured or his brother was going to say something very important. Lloyd hoped for the last one as Luin shook his head and raised the beautiful blue orb to Lloyd's eye level.

"Do you know what this is Lloyd?" Luin asked. Not angrily or curiously, he was just asking a simple question.

"Uuum…nope." Lloyd stated before asking in a rush, "Why? Am I in trouble? I swear I've never seen that before in my life." Luin just chuckled,

"No Lloyd your not in any trouble." He paused, "This is an exsphere. It belonged…to Anna, your mother."

Lloyd then audibly gasped before his attention zeroed in on the orb Luin was holding. He then tentatively reached out for it and Luin placed it on in his palm. Lloyd then whispered, "This was, this was mom's own?"

"Yep and now it belongs to you. Dirk discovered it when he found her dying in the forest and…well we decided not to give it to you until we thought you could handle the implications of it." Luin said in a sad voice. He continued to gaze at Lloyd who was enthralled by the exsphere. Lloyd's eyes then hardened and his mouth forms a thin line before he looked at Luin and asked,

"So…how does it work and what does it do?" For a moment, Luin was shocked by Lloyd's sudden seriousness, but only for a moment. Luin began to explain,

"An exsphere is designed to unleash the hidden potential inside a person and maximize it to the fullest. In short, it brings out the best skills in you and pushes them to and beyond the limit." Luin explained to Lloyd before continuing,

"We didn't want you to have it at a young age because we thought you wouldn't take proper care of it or your body while under it's influence. However, me and Dirk both agree that it's about time you received your mother's greatest gift to you. This gift cost your mother her life but I know it won't be wasted, I can already tell that your going to change the world Lloyd." Lloyd then looked at Luin and then he smiled and nodded his head firmly in determination as he said,

"I won't let you down bro, I promise."

"I know Lloyd, I know." Luin responded.

Luin flipped over Lloyds left hand and Luin placed the exsphere into the back side of Lloyd's left hand. Lloyd hissed and his head flung back and it seemed there was a massive surge of mana within Lloyd before it died down and Lloyd looked at his brother Luin and he smiled. Luin smiled back before he gave Lloyd a hug and told him to go to sleep.

Luin then walked downstairs and outside and looked at the twinkling stars. Luin loved to stare at the stars, he had counted them whenever he didn't feel like sleeping, which he didn't do much lately. His brother had gotten him into that little habit and so far he had counted 765,340,989 different stars. Luin gazed at the astral bodies and chuckled to himself,

"That sure was one hell of a lightshow Lloyd. Maybe you inherited more than my brother's horrible looks. I wonder what the future holds for you 'little bro'." Luin said to himself as he began scanning the heavens for the place where he left off.

"Ahh there we go. 765,340, 990. 765,340,991..." Luin continued for most of the night before he decided to get some 'sleep'.

The next day Lloyd received his first introductory lesson on swordsmanship.

* * *

Phew that was a long chapter but well worth the read I hope. Till next time.

* * *


	4. Prologue IV

Ok, so here's the last of the prologues. Wootage. I just want to point something out, the random underlines aren't highlighting anything important, it's just this damn word underlined everything and when i tried to de-underline all of it, it wouldn't work so yea. Sorry bout that but anyway, on with the show. :D

* * *

**The Legacy of Luin**

_Prologue IV: Meet the Sages_

Now a few months after Lloyd's 7th birthday, school started and as usual Lloyd was dreading the walk he had to endure to reach the school. The Iselian School was a homey one story house that was brown and only had one classroom. The classroom sat about 20 students at a time, it had three large windows, a chalkboard at the head of the classroom and a bathroom outside.

Once Lloyd got into class he soon spotted his good friend Collette and began talking to her about the previous weekend where they went camping with Dirk. Soon however his eyes were drawn to two newcomers in the door, Lloyd then nudged Collette and they looked on as a girl walked into the room holding a small boy's hand and holding a briefcase in the other. The girl was about 5'8, she was wearing a simple white blouse, long black pants and white boots. The boy she was holding wore short blue pants and a white collared shirt. They both had long silver hair, although the woman's was cut short while the boy's own was beginning to get a tad bit long. She motioned for the little boy to sit at a desk in front of the class while the girl sat at the teacher's desk and began taking supplies out of her briefcase. Lloyd just stood there before he whispered to Collette,

"Hey who's that?"

"I don't know but we should probably tell her that's the teacher's desk." Collette suggested and with Lloyd's nod they made their way to the front of the room. When they got to the front of the desk, Lloyd then stuck out his hand towards the girl,

"Hi there, I'm Lloyd. And this is Collette." He said pointing to Collette, who smiled and waved before continuing, "You look new here, What's your name?" Lloyd asked.

Piercing analytical eyes stared at Lloyd before gazing at Collette and then she stood up and cleared her voice loud enough so that the other children stared at her. Once she was sure she had their undivided attention she spoke in aclear crisp voice,

"My name is Raine Sage but you will all call me Professor Sage. I will be teaching you from this point onwards." Lloyd's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open as she went on, " I hope we can have a very peaceful coexistence but if we cannot I will not hesitate to show discipline."

And with that Professor Sage sat down and smiled at Lloyd and Collette.

"Please sit down class will start soon." she said before returning her attention to her papers and other educational supplies.

When her words entered his ear Lloyd snapped out of his shock and blurted out,

"No way! Your only like sixteen yeas old, there's no way you could be a teacher. Plus, your so different than a normal teacher and there's no way that Mr. Danziger would just let you take his-"

He was cut off by a piece of chalk that hit him right above his right eye and he fell onto his butt. Professor Raine then stood up and glared down at little Lloyd and said in a stern voice,

"I told you, I AM your teacher and you WILL respect me or I WILL deliver punishment. Is that understood…Lloyd?"

Lloyd merely glared at Raine but when she moved her hand to another piece of chalk he began to nod fiercely. This was only the beginning of a beautiful relationship between teacher and student. That was Lloyd's first punishment by someone other than Dirk and he had to say, it hurt. However this would not be the last time he would receive 'punishment' by Raine. Oh no, not by a long shot. He would get many more chalk shots to the head, (Raine's aim would improve tremendously, eventually being able to place a piece of chalk right between Lloyd's eyes, with her eyes closed.) a numerous amounts of slapping, the occasional kick to the shins or stomach and if she were feeling confident enough, a round house kick to the head. Oh yes, a very lovely relationship indeed.

* * *

It would be about three years later, when Genis was at the ripe age of five, before he and Lloyd would become good friends. It started out as any other day. It was lunch time, the children were allowed to go out for recess and play around or go home to get some lunch before returning in an hour. As the children were leaving the room, like always professor Raine noticed that all but one student had began moving towards the door. It was her little brother, Genis. Genis may have been four years old but was showing early signs of an advanced intelligence, he could walk properly, he could speak in complete sentences and he knew and understood words that would leave Lloyd scratching his hair in confusion.

Raine couldn't have been prouder of Genis, but she knew he longed to have friends. She would cast quick glances at him and catch him gazing longingly at people around him, but he would never speak to them first. The difficult life he and Raine shared had caused him to become distrusting and rather spiteful towards the other races. Raine sighed, he would grow to become quite a troublesome boy if he continued along this path and she was wondering how to help her brother when Lloyd and Collette walked into the classroom. Lloyd was talking to Collette,

"Collette I'm sure. I brought an extra sandwich for you, it's probably in my bag." Lloyd said as he reached for his bag and began rummaging through it.

"Alright Lloyd, but it's ok if you didn't bring one." Collette replied while smiling at Lloyd.

Genis sat there eating his lunch, listening in on their conversation. He began wondering if all humans were this stupid or was this Lloyd character just an exception. When Lloyd emerged from his bag with a sandwich and began doing a victory dance for the girl, Collette he remembered, he shook his head. This human was definitely an exception and yet… Genis looked back towards them and he couldn't help but frown a little, he was envious of their happiness, he admitted it. He wished he and his sister could be happy like those two but then he sighed and returned to eating his lunch.

That was just wishful thinking, and wishful thinking was for idiots, and idiots didn't last long in this harsh world. Idiots didn't have to run for miles running from people who wouldn't accept them, idiots didn't…he shook his head realizing he had been glaring at his lunch. It wasn't there fault, Genis realized, they were just ignorant. Satisfied with his answer he nodded his head and took another bite out of his sandwich. He chuckled sadly and whispered to himself,

"Well as they say, 'Ignorance is bliss'."

When he looked up he noticed that the two people he was just talking about were now standing in front of him, staring at him. Then Lloyd broke out into a smile and said,

"Hey I'm Lloyd."

"I'm Collette, nice to meet you…" Collette said, trying to recall what Raine had said the boy's name was. The young boy sighed and decided to help her out.

"Genis, my name is Genis." Genis said as he started remembering a bit of advice Raine had told him…

_"Hey Genis, a bit of advice, we have to blend in well so don't be so harsh on these guys ok?" Raine said as she was placing things into her briefcase._

_"__But Raine!' Genis protested, "What if they're mean to me and think I'm stupid or something?" He asked._

_"__Then pr__etend to be stupid, no one needs to know how smart you really are. They'll find out in due time anyway and if they start to tease you…well…it wouldn't be the first time so you'll just have to suck it up and deal with it ok?" Raine said as she touched Genis's cheek, "Please Genis, for me?" _

_Genis merely lo__oked at Raine and he sighed, nodding, "Alright Sis. I'll do my best."_

_Raine produced o__ne of her rare smiles and messed with his silver h__air saying, "That's __all I ask for Genis, that's all __I ask." _

Genis sighed remembering Raine's 'advice'. Lloyd then messed with his hair and Genis looked up, about to yell but then quickly stopped himself and instead hit Lloyd's hand away,

"Please don't do that Lloyd." Genis said in a baby voice, "I don't like it when people do that."

Lloyd stopped and nodded, "Ok Genis, I'm sorry."

"Hey Genis why aren't you outside playing with anybody?"

'Because no one wants to get close to the half-elf.' Genis thought but instead he stuck with, "No one will play with me."

Lloyd then looked Genis up and down and Genis knew that Lloyd would probably say something along the lines of 'I can understand that, your weird' or 'I wouldn't either'. So Genis was quite startled when Lloyd grabbed his arm and pulled him out the chair,

"Come on Genis, lets go play hide n seek!" Lloyd said excitedly with Collette following behind them.

"Yea Genis, it'll be lots of fun" Collette smiled and Genis couldn't help but smile back before being dragged out the room and outdoors.

Meanwhile Professor Raine had pretended to be busy marking some evaluating quizzes but in reality she was merely witnessing an amazing event, her brother making his few first friend. She smiled as Genis was dragged outside by the exhilarated Lloyd and she shook her head.

'It'd be ironic,' she thought,' If the genius became best friends with an idiot.' She chuckled at the thought,

"At least he won't be so lonely anymore." She began marking papers thinking that maybe the future here in Iselia might not be so bad after all.

* * *

Genis was having the time of his life. He was now lying on his stomach in the bush next to a silent Collette as they watched Lloyd walk around, spinning in a circle before he looked up at a tree next to them.

"Man, you guys have some good hiding spots…" he said before suddenly he smiled and began running towards the bush Genis and Collette was hiding in. Collette was on her feet as soon as she saw the smile and was running away from Lloyd, learning from experience that when Lloyd smiled in hide n seek, you had either been found or he knew a really good hiding spot. Genis however was not so lucky, by the time he got to his feet, Lloyd was upon him and tapped him on the head.

"You're it Genis." Lloyd said triumphantly. Before Genis could begin to complain, the bell signaling the end of recess was heard throughout Iselia. Collette came out from behind a bush and giggled before saying,

"I think it's time to go back, we'd better hurry."

Lloyd and Genis nodded and together the trio ran back to the school to see the children gathering outside the school. When they saw Collette and Lloyd emerge from the bush, some of them smiled and others waved but once they saw Genis, they're smiles disappeared and some of them began shuffling towards the front door of the school. Lloyd and Collette looked confused but Genis knew that look all too well, it was the look of confusion and caution, which would lead to glares of hatred and disgust. Genis looked at the ground and stood there not following Lloyd or Collette. Lloyd noticed this and went back to Genis and tapped him on the head. Genis looked up at him and Lloyd was wearing that stupid, goofy smile of his,

"Hey come on, we don't want to be late for the class."

"…"Genis stayed silent and stared at a butterfly that suddenly seemed more attractive than the students staring at the pair.

"What's the matter Genis?" Collette asked concerned.

Genis mumbled something but Lloyd leaned in saying, "Sorry I didn't catch that, what did you say?"

"How can I sit in a classroom where all the other kids keep glaring at me?"

Genis didn't mean to say that out loud but it had slipped his tongue. Collette and Lloyd turned towards the other kids who were indeed staring at the trio, and Lloyd could see that some of thekids were, in fact, glaring at them but more specifically Genis.

Lloyd then clenched his fists and turned towards the other kids. Remembering Dwarven vow34 (Always watch out for you friends, no matter what!) and Dwarven vow12 (Always face a problem head on, never run from it!) Lloyd shouted,

"Hey!" All eyes turned to him, even Raine who had just stepped outside to assemble the kids was silent and stared intently at Lloyd.

"If you've got a problem with me or my friends, Collette AND Genis, then tell me now! I won't have any of you giving my friends dirty looks." Lloyd defiantly glared at the assembled students, silently daring one of them to protest. Lloyd turned his head to Genis and smiled giving him a thumbs up.

"Your friend is weird Lloyd!" A kid suddenly shouted before another joined in

"Yea and he has funny hair!"

"His eyes aren't even like ours!" However they were all made silent by Lloyd's loud exclamation of ,

"SO?!" He yelled, "Who cares if he looks any different on the outside, he's a really good kid on the inside and I bet he's smarter than all of you put together! Don't judge him just from looks and other stuff like that, if you want to be that way then at least have the decency to get to know him first!"

And with that he turned towards his friends and said,"Come on guys, I think we're done here."

Lloyd then walked off towards the school with Collette and Genis in tow. Unbeknownst to the others, Genis was experiencing an emotional roller coaster. No human had ever, ever stuck up for him like that, and he stuck up for Genis against people he had known for years. So when Raine gave him a smile and closed the door behind them heran to the duo and gave them a big hug, with tears running down his face, speaking through sobs,

"T-t-thank you s-so much. No one has ever stuck for me before."

Genis let go of Lloyd and Collette and saw that they were smiling too, each of them put a hand on Genis's shoulder and Lloyd spoke,

"No problem Genis, you're my friend now remember? I don't care what race you are, or who your parents were or anything like that. As long as you're a good friend to me I'll always be a good friend to you."

"Me too Genis, you're a really fun kid and we had a lot of fun today. I hope we can play again sometime."

Collette smiled and Genis nodded before he found himself smiling again. Looking at those two he couldn't help but laugh. Yes, they were humans, yes they weren't the brightest of the bunch (Well Lloyd wasn't anyway) and yes they weren't the best of students but they were the best of people and more importantly they were the best of friends. It was on that day that Genis made his first friends and it was on that day the infamous trio had been created. It would be months later before Luin would meet the Sage siblings but one look at them and he could see their half-elven heritage, but more than that he could see the scars of what they had gone through but he also saw the future their friendship with Lloyd provided for them.

So he smiled and accepted them as well and over the years he found himself becoming more and more attached to the lovely pair of half-elves. Genis was even the same element as him, so was it so strange that he considered them his own children? That eventually he would seek their permission to adopt them as his son and daughter? No, not really. He didn't change their last names, because even if you hated it,

'your name is a part of who you are' he had said.

Luin may have been gone from time to time but the things he taught Lloyd and the others was invaluable. He made sure to have time for the winter season, so he could spend the winter months with his dear family and friends. For seven years they lived and they strived, all of them becoming the closest thing they ever had to a real family and they enjoyed every blessed minute of it.

However, destiny had decided that it was time. Sylvarant was dying, crops were withering, the mana level was declining and the people of the land cried out for a savior, someone who would help them, save them from the sinister Desians, and the heavenly powers decided to answer their cries in the form of the Chosen One. A blonde child who's eyes held no malice and who's heart was pure.

Her name was Collette and today was her sixteenth birthday.

* * *

I apologize again for the underlining, it''s pretty annoying. If anyone knows how to fix that I'd really appreciate it. Anyway, the next chapter will start present day at the beginning of ToS. Till next time readers. Good night :)


	5. Chapter 1:The Beginning Of The End

**Alrighty then, here's the begining of the story woot! I hope you've enjoyed the story thus far(whoever you are) and I'll try to make my writing better in the future. If there's anything you want me to fix just let me know. I present to you chapter 1! Happy reading :)**

* * *

_The Legacy of Luin_

_Chapter 1: The Beginning of the End_

It was a bright and sunny day in the quiet village of Iselia. The birds were chirping, the fish were swimming, and somewhere Luin was sleeping. Yes, all was well. Even in the Iselian School, things were peaceful. So peaceful in fact, that a certain brunette was sleeping while standing up, a feat made possible only through practice. The Professor noticed this and sighed before she decided he needed to hear this if he EVER wanted to leave school. This would be his 3rd year repeating the ninth grade. So Professor Raine picked up her ever handy eraser and decided to try the pacifist method first,

"Lloyd!" No response, "Lloyd Irving!" A sleep bubble began to form on Lloyd's nose. Raine sighed before looking at her eraser,

'Well, I tried'

And as she thought that, she cocked back her arm, took careful aim and threw the eraser with all the skill of a master archer. The eraser hit the unsuspecting target directly in the bridge of his nose. The young man startled awake, and after looking around confused asked,

"Huh? What happened? Is class over Professor Raine?"

The Professor sighed before returning to lecturing about Mithos the Hero, The Kharlan War, and the Desians. She then turned to Collette before asking,

"And exactly what is the Journey of Regeneration?"

Collette responded with, "The Journey of Regeneration is a journey in which the Chosen One travels across Sylvarant to awaken the summon spirits of the world and to seal away the Desians."

Raine chuckled before stating, "I guess we should expect the Chosen herself to know the answer to that question."

Collette smiled at the professor but then a bright light began emanating through the windows, the light was so bright, everybody shielded their eyes. When the light ceased all the students began to get up and head for the windows. It was then that Raine spoke,

"Settle down everybody. Collette," the Chosen turned her head towards the Professor, "it's time for you to receive the oracle. I'm going to head to the Martel Temple, Collette you wait here for the priests to come get you. The rest of you, stay here and continue with your studies." With that said, Raine then calmly walked out of the school.

It was then that Lloyd began to exit the classroom, before he could leave Genis ran up to him,

"Lloyd, what are you doing?"

"I want to go investigate that light. I mean it was so cool! We just have to check it out." Lloyd said excitedly. Genis sighed,

"May I remind you that Raine said we weren't allowed to leave the classroom."

"Yea, but it's…for research! Yea, research" Lloyd said nodding. Lloyd then looked at Collette and said,

"Collette why don't you come with us? I mean this has everything to do with you right?"

"Sure, sounds like fun." Collette said as she smiled and walked over to the two of them. Then they both turned to Genis who sighed and pointed a finger at Lloyd,

"When we get caught, I'm blaming you."

"Yea, but you always blame me Genis." Lloyd counteracted.

Genis glared at Lloyd, Lloyd smirked at Genis and Collette just smiled at the both of them. This was how it always was whenever Lloyd, Genis and Collette were about to go on some sort of adventure. Little did they know, that this adventure would change their lives in ways they couldn't even begin to imagine.

* * *

Luin was staring into the sky where he just saw the pillar of light erupt from the Martel temple and shoot out into the heavens. Luin sighed knowing that Collette's life would never be the same, well…what was left of it anyway. He had been resting under his favorite tree, it was a beautiful cherry blossom tree that was on a hill about twelve meters from Dirk's house. Luin had just finished a very tough, very important mission and decided he hadn't seen his family in a while.

Three years ago, Luin had gotten so close to the Sage siblings that he had asked them if he could adopt them as his own family. He cared about the half-elves very much, especially Genis. So when they agreed to it, and Genis ran and gave him a hug when the papers were signed, Luin thought he couldn't be any happier. He had just arrived before midday and decided he would wait for them to return home. So with the peaceful atmosphere Iselia was famous for, he decided to catch up on his Luin time. Now he was stirring with thoughts, thoughts about Collette, Genis and Raine but now he thought about Lloyd.

He had watched as Lloyd grew from an energetic kid to a curious young man. His skills in swordsmanship had improved immensely, of course he couldn't come close to Luin but he was better than average. As Luin thought about Lloyd, he couldn't help but think of Lloyd's Angelification. When Luin gave Lloyd the exsphere ten years ago he looked out for signs of the sacred transformation that was Angelification but oddly enough he didn't show any signs of it. When Luin went to Yuan with the problem he found that the angelic process was occurring but because Lloyd hardly pushed the exsphere to the limit, it was progressing very slowly.

Luin decided to keep it that way until two years ago when Luin had met his brother again for the first time in centuries. It was then that Luin knew that Lloyd had to begin transforming because if Luin failed then who would help Yuan defeat Cruxis? They would definitely need Lloyd then. Luin had already setup the safeguards with Yuan to ensure that if Luin fell, Lloyd would be able to carry on in his stead. The night he met his brother was one he'd probably never forget, it was also one of his greatest blunders. He still had some of the scars to prove it.

---

_It was deep in the winter months and he was late for the annual dinner he and his family shared with Dirk, Lloyd and Collette's family. He was just leaving the House of Salvation, he had needed a quick rest when he noticed a lone figure on the road. The figure had auburn hair and was in a strange yet elegant outfit. It was a long-sleeved shirt with an open collar with one purple vertical stripe going down the sleeves, the chest was a deep blue but one could hardly see that because of the belts. His pants were blue up to the middle of his calf, then it went to white with a purple stripe. They were separated by two belts on each leg. If Luin counted right, Kratos had at least seventeen belts on his body. _

'_Still hasn't gotten over that belt fetish I see' Luin thought to himself. _

_Said figure had his back turned to Luin and he was staring at the sky. When the figure turned around to leave he noticed the man staring at him. The figure lifted an eyebrow and asked,_

"_Can I help you?"_

_Luin merely stared at his brother, he didn't look any different since he had last seen him. He even sounded the same! But that was to be expected, he and the other seraphim had stopped their internal clocks long ago. Luin did the same as well, although Luin let his body age for a while so that his appearance could change slightly. It looked liked it worked because Kratos just began to walk past Luin. It was then that Luin got an idea, a crazy, stupid idea. An idea that would make Lloyd smile in pride and amusement. _

_Luin gripped the top of his Katz Kane, gave it a twist and pulled the top of the cane. This then revealed a thin double edged sword that was about a meter in length. Luin turned and swung at Kratos unsuspecting head. It was then that Kratos ducked, turned and pulled his sword out in one swift motion. Luin leaped out the way and stood about four meters away from Kratos. Kratos narrowed his eyes and said,_

"_I don't know who you are, but if you sheathe your sword now I'll let you leave with your life." _

_Luin laughed at that and lunged at Kratos again. Their swords met in an eruption of sparks. Kratos was traveling with a long double edged sword that was teal in color. The guard was a typical cross guard and the handle was long and was wrapped in purple cloth. Luin scoffed at this,_

"_Geez, I could never understand your obsession with purple." _

_Kratos brows furrowed but before he could ask anything else, Luin was on the move. Luin struck in every way he could think of but his brother was always there meeting him blow to blow. Kratos knocked Luin's blade away and thrust at his heart. Luin side-stepped around it and slashed at Kratos but Kratos was too quick. He leaned back and then slashed at Luin's exposed arm. Luin winced but he narrowed his eyes and decided to return the favor. This went on for a while with Luin seemingly not making any progress while Kratos had gotten two more well placed hits against Luin. So Luin decided to pick up the pace. _

_You see, Luin was a famous fighter, not for his power or his skill with the blade. Luin was famous for being the fastest swordsman in both Sylvarant and Tethe'alla. If Luin decided to move at his fastest, the enemy never saw the blade, the only way they knew he had hit them was when the pain hit. The only people who had a chance of stopping him at his fastest was Yuan, Mithos and his brother Kratos._

_So when Kratos and Luin were locked in a fierce glare-off Kratos noticed his wounds on Luin, he had cut Luin thrice. Kratos decided it was time to point that out. _

"_You should stop while your ahead." Kratos pointed his sword at Luin before continuing, "I've struck you three times and you haven't hit me once, and I'm not even close to using my full power." _

_Luin didn't say anything, he merely smirked and pointed at his own left cheek. Kratos furrowed his eyes in confusion before he felt a slight pain in his cheek. Kratos eye's widened as he felt the spot and it was wet, Kratos bought the fingers to his face and was surprised to see blood, his blood. _

"_How did….?" Was all Kratos had time to say before Luin touched his shoulder and then his forearm. Kratos mirrored his movements and noticed he had been cut thrice as well. Kratos looked at Luin who was still smirking. There's no way Kratos couldn't have felt those, he may have shut out his emotions but he still felt physical harm. It was when that thought crossed his mind that the pain hit Kratos. Kratos was stunned for a moment before he glared daggers at Luin. _

"_Who are you?" Kratos asked._

_Luin merely sheathed his sword before turning away from Kratos, but before he left Luin turned his head slightly towards Kratos and said,_

"_A ghost."_

_Kratos eyes widened but before he could say anything the figure ran off at a very quick pace. His mind told him to chase after him but his body just wouldn't listen._

"_No, it couldn't be….that's impossible." Kratos whispered to himself._

_Luin kept running and running until he had to stop to catch some air, he put his back to the closest tree he could find and he slid down until he hit the gound on his bottom. He began thinking about his brother, it would seem he was still alive but…it also appeared that he still worked for Cruxis, the judgment outfit made that clear. Just when he thought his brother would finally turn against the organization. Luin sighed sadly before standing up and began to take notice of his surroundings. He was at the border of the Iselia Forest. It was then that he noticed the pair of eyes watching him. A black wolf appeared before Luin and stared hungrily at him, Luin stared back thinking that one wolf wasn't too bad. _

_It was when five more wolves appeared from the surrounding undergrowth that he realized he had made three mistakes. His first mistake was not healing his wounds which he knew was attracting these beasts. Second mistake he realized was that he had entered the darkest part of the Iselia forest, the part that was actually dangerous. Lastly, he realized that moving at insane speeds made him tired, he had forgotten how much energy it took.. Luin sighed but then looked at the pack of wolves and withdrew his Katz sword,_

"_So…who's first?" He asked and as one the monsters pounced on him._

_----_

_Luin flew slowly over the Iselia Forest, his body leaking blood in too many places to count. He could feel himself tiring but he had to make it to Dirk. _

'_Just make it to Dirk, just make it to Lloyd, just make it home, to Genis and Raine.' Luin thought. _

_Luin continued that mantra until he saw the lights of the Dirk's house, he saw that no one was outside so he landed but as soon he landed he felt gravity give him a backhand slap to the ground. Luin could hardly move, he may have been flying but his blood would undoubtedly attract the attention of other monsters in the forest and if he didn't get it cleaned up, these people would have some trouble on their hands. So with all his strength, he pushed himself to his feet and using his Katz Kane he limped to the door and banged on it. He heard Dirk coming to the door saying,_

"_Oi Luin! If that be you bangin' on me door, I'll…" his voice trailed off as he watched a bloody Luin stagger in. With a smile and a cough of blood, Luin said,_

"_Good, I made it." _

_Luin fell to the cold, hard bedrock. He had his eyes closed and was rapidly losing consciousness but he could still hear voices all around him. Before he slipped into that ever wonderful sleep known as unconsciousness he heard one of the most wonderful sounds in his life. It was one word but it warmed his soul to the core and he even thought a tear escaped his eyes. The sound was when Genis yelled,_

"_Dad!"_

* * *

Of course, he woke up the next morning with bandages over his upper torso, his head and on his legs. He would find out later that he had three broken ribs( why was it always the same ribs that broke?), a broken finger and numerous amounts of claw marks. He received a pretty bad concussion and he lost a good amount of blood oh and he was poisoned. But his wonderful foster daughter had taken charge immediately and by the morning he was healthy enough to walk. There came the assault of questions but he just told them that he had been careless and was ambushed by some monsters. This caused the others to laugh at him all except for two people. Said lovely foster daughter Raine and Dirk.

Luin smirked at that thought. Dirk was a very observant dwarf and he was quite good at putting the pieces together. Dirk had confronted Luin about what happened and it was then that Luin realized he needed to tell him. Incase this happened again and there was no healer to fix him up. So Luin told Dirk about…well everything. Of course, Dirk knew about some of it already. He knew of Cruxis because, believe it or not, some of his family was taken away to do work for them. So he was a little prepared for what Luin told him, but it still took Dirk a week or so to wrap his head around it. Especially the 'I'm-over-4000-years-old part,' yea try picking up girls with that line.

Speaking of the dwarf, Luin noticed Dirk making his way towards him. Luin looked at Dirk, before smiling and saying,

"Well, good morning Dirk."

Dirk just looked at Luin, he hadn't really changed his attire at all since the time when he found the strange man knocking on his door. Dirk saw that Luin still wore the leggings that ran up to his knees, the short pants that stopped a little past his knees, the sleeveless shirt with the Chosen's crest on the front and his midnight black coat. Finally there was his signature round, black sunglasses and his Katz Kane. He had his black hair tied in a ponytail that reached his shoulders. Dirk nodded at Luin before joining him in looking at the sky,

"Mornin' Luin. How you be doin'? Dirk asked.

"I've been fine. How about you and Lloyd?" Luin asked, making friendly conversation.

"Aye, we be doin' good. Lloyd's doin' a lil' better in school now." Dirk responded. Neither had taken their eyes from the sky.

"That's good, that's good." Luin said and for a while they merely stared at the radiant blue sky, was it him or did the sky seem even bluier today? Oh well, better for his viewing pleasure. After awhile, Dirk broke the silence,

"I think Lloyd's started sleeping again." he said. Luin looked at Dirk then and he smiled. Luin knew that Lloyd wouldn't be able to sleep until the process was over, but for Dirk he decided to play along,

"So he's finally out of that phase, that's good." Luin said before looking back at the sky.

After the winter incident, Luin decided to push Lloyd into using his exsphere more often and when he left three weeks later, he had finally managed to teach Lloyd Demon Fang. He told Lloyd to stick to a strict training regime and when he returned two months later, Dirk told him that Lloyd had stopped eating and that for a week Lloyd was in excrutiating pain. Lloyd barely ate anything for nine months and for a while nothing happened but then five months ago Lloyd had trouble sleeping and eventually stopped sleeping at all and yet he seemed full of energy. Now that he was finished with that phase Luin wondered when he would lose his voice.

Luin knew the Angelification process for each race, including the Chosen because over the course of history he had seen it done on a member from each race. Universally, everyone lost the same senses, gained the same abilities, and everyone went through moments of intense pain. Only the Chosen one lost his/her heart or memory. However that didn't stop the angels above from becoming lifeless beings.

For elves, they lost their sense of voice first, then their ability to feel, the ability to taste and finally their sense of sleep. It was the opposite of the Chosen's Angelification process. The humans lost their sense of taste first, then their ability to sleep, then their voice, and finally their ability to feel. For half-elves, they lost their voice first, then their sleep, then the ability to feel and finally their ability to taste.

For any race to achieve full Angelification they must persevere through the process and then they must break their mortal threshold. Whether it be through anger, torture or whatever other method you could think of. Once the threshold was broken, that person would become an 'angel' and if taught the proper techniques could stop their internal clock. The angel can also choose to feel any of their senses, including their ability to feel emotion. Well, that's how it was for him and the other seraphim, Luin wasn't quite sure how the normal angels in Welagia became that way.

Luin decided to go back to the tree and catch some shut-eye. He knew that most likely Lloyd and the others wouldn't be back until much later. How did he know this? Years of practice my friends, years of practice. As Luin sat down he noticed Dirk was still staring into the sky, so Luin decided to break him out of his trance,

"Hey, if you keep standing there all day your not going to get any work done." Luin said. Dirk turned to face Luin with a sad look on his face,

"That poor girl, giving her life up for…" Dirk trailed off but Luin finished the sentence for him,

"Nothing."

Dirk continued to stare at Luin as if he was contemplating something, finally one side won the inner turmoil and Dirk said,

"We have to tell her."

Luin sighed, he had had the same argument with himself and Yuan before, but he had to go with logic on this one,

"It doesn't matter Dirk. She knows her duty and her fate."

Aye! But she don't know it be a lie!" Dirk was getting angry with Luin,

"Maybe not but think about it Dirk. If we told her that she would be used as a body for a woman who's been dead for over 4000 years do you think she'll believe us?" Luin asked. When Dirk opened his mouth to answer Luin cut him off,

"Even if she does believe us, knowing Collette what would she do?" Dirk thought for awhile and his shoulders seemed to sag with sadness, but also understanding,

"She'd go anyway cuz' it be' her duty and…she'll do it cuz' she's too kind-hearted."

"Exactly, so let her believe she's giving her life for a good cause, and who knows? I wouldn't worry too much though." Luin said smugly. Dirk lifted one eyebrow,

"Oh? And why shouldn't I?"

"Because your son is going with them. I don't know how, but he'll end up on that journey, that much is clear. When they find out the truth and they will, trust me on that. I believe in Lloyd, he'll make the right decision. Why do you think I'm training him so hard?" Dirk looked at Luin for a moment before he chuckled at the thought,

"Aye, you be right on that point. We did pretty good raising them didn't we?" Luin laughed then and exclaimed,

"Your damn right about that Dirk. Your damn right about that."

Dirk smiled about that and started back to the house. Luin decided to catch up on his much needed Luin time, he had the feeling that he wouldn't be able to get some Luin time for a little while.

* * *

**So there's chapter one. 'Finally' as my sister would say. I've already written up to chapter 2 so I'll try to keep the chapters coming on a regular basis. Thanks for reading my story so far and I hope your enjoying it. If there's anything I need to fix please don't hesitate to tell me. Till next time :D**


	6. Chapter 2:Awakening

**Hello friends :D I'll be honest I've had this chapter finished for like two days and completely forgot to upload it..So I'm terribly sorry to anyone reading this. I promise it won't happen again, I definitly got motivation now that I know someone is actually reading this :) So I present to you, Chapter 2. Happy reading!**

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Chapter 2: Awakening

"Dammit!" Lloyd cried as he dodged yet another slash of a sword.

Said sword was currently being wielded by Desian number 4 or was it 5? Lloyd had lost count a while ago. He looked over to his two comrades and was happy with what he saw. Colette was twirling around, spinning her chakrams around and keeping the Desians at bay while Genis was casting fireballs at the distracted Desians.

Lloyd looked back at his opponent just in time to block another strike. Lloyd gritted his teeth and knocked the Desian's sword away and performed a Sonic Thrust that ended the Desian's life. He then ran to Colette and with a well placed Demon Fang he got rid of another soldier. He was still shocked that the Desians had broken the Non-Aggression Treaty they had with Iselia.

'Those bastards.' Lloyd thought as he stood in front of Colette and Genis. 

_They had just reached the Martel Temple when they heard the sounds of blades clashing and bodies dropping. They saw a priest stumbling down the steps before he collapsed the rest of the way. His robe was stained with blood, Lloyd knew this man wouldn't make it. The priest looked up at the Chosen and with his final breathe told them how the Desians had invaded the temple and were looking for the Chosen. When the priest died, Collette got up and started walking up the stairs,_

"_Colette! What the hell are you doing? If you go up there you could be killed." Genis had said. Collette merely looked at Genis before looking up at the pillar of light shooting up towards the deep blue sky,_

"_Your right but__…I won't runaway from by duty. Plus-" she turned to Genis and L__loyd, "I have to be more Chosen-like right?"_

_Lloyd turned to Genis who merely sighed before saying, "I guess your right. If you don't get that oracle, Sylvarant won't be saved." _

_Lloyd smiled at Genis and said, "That's the spirit Genis! We have to protect the Chosen after all." _

_Lloyd chuckled as he and Genis walked up besides Colette, _

"_Besides, I won't let anything happen to you Collette, I promise." _

_Lloyd smiled that big goofy grin and Colette knew deep in her soul that Lloyd would do everything to keep that promise. The trio then ran to the top of the steps where they engaged the Desians._

Lloyd took this temporary ceasefire to inspect the leader of these Desians. He believed the soldiers had called him Botta. He was a tall man, probably about 5 inches taller than Lloyd. He wore a white and blue gown that was sleeveless on one side and had a long sleeve on the next. He wore a green vest that came from his back, under his arms and met again near his stomach. Lloyd couldn't help but think how weird people dressed these days. Botta stared at them nonplused before saying,

"You're tougher than you appear. But no matter, this will end now! Crusher come out!"

A huge man who had to be at least 7 feet tall stomped towards them, he had every possible weapon on him but he carried a hammer and a chain ball adorned with spikes which he began to twirl in the air.

"This is the end Chosen One."

The man let loose the spiky ball of steel death at the trio who quickly leapt out the way. Lloyd shouted to Genis and Collette,

"Genis prepare some fireballs, Colette and I will distract him for you!"

With that, Lloyd charged at the colossal man who swung his hammer at him, but because of Lloyd's nimble body he missed and Lloyd cut into his leg with a well placed Demon Fang. But the giant man didn't so much as flinch. He smiled at Lloyd but before he could attack Lloyd, a chakram whizzed by and hit the Crusher in his helmet. The Crusher looked over at the blonde girl and growled,

"You're gonna pay for that Chosen."

The Crusher slammed his hammer into the ground which caused a shockwave that knocked Colette off her feet. Before she could stand up, The Crusher was practically on top of her and he raised his hammer up when suddenly three fireballs hit him in his side, distracting him enough so Colette could get up and create some distance between her and The Crusher. Lloyd then ran up to the large man and jumped towards his back before releasing a Beast which knocked the man over. He got up and swung his hammer at Lloyd who was just able to block it from breaking his ribcage, Lloyd's arms were getting tired and he could see Colette panting too.

Genis ran and was about to unleash a stone blast when the Crusher swung his chain ball at Genis. Genis was able to quickly cast Stone Blast to take the full blunt of the blow but he was sent flying, he landed on the ground with a dull thud and didn't move. Colette ran over to him and examined Genis. She turned to Lloyd and smiled at Lloyd,

"He's alright but he's gonna need some healing."

Lloyd turned to see a hammer strike coming for his head, he ducked and performed a Tiger Blade on the Crusher, he then back stepped away from him. The Crusher, knowing how tired the trio was smiled as he calculated his victory. He laughed and said,

"Hah, you little runts should know better than to mess with us. Now Chosen, I believe it's time for you to die!"

He began swirling the chain ball above his head and Lloyd looked back at Colette who was helping Genis sit up. She looked up at him and he saw the worry on their faces. He also saw the unspoken question written on her face,

'Are we truly going to die here?'

They say before you die your life flashes before your eyes, Lloyd saw the life he lived, the happy-go lucky life he lived and he began to think, 'this was how it would end? Unable to save the two people who meant more to him than the world itself? About to be cut-down by some menacing Desians who thought they knew everything?'

The Crusher let loose the ball that would end Lloyd's life.

'What gave them the right!? He thought angrily, 'What right did they have to run amock, to cause such death and destruction!?'

As the ball flew towards him he couldn't help but reiterate his thoughts,

"WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT!?!?" Lloyd practically screamed as the ball sped towards him.

Oddly enough he felt no fear of death, well not as much as he thought he would. He was more scared for his friends than himself. He glared at the ball, choosing to be defiant, even in death. However, the ball never hit him. Before it came close enough to touch him, the Trio saw a blur of purple and auburn hair. The ball flew back towards it's owner with terrifying strength, enough to knock the Crusher over.

As he got up, Lloyd looked at his savior. He stood about 3inches taller than Lloyd, that would make the man about 6 feet tall. He had auburn hair that hid his face and he wore an odd purple suit, with what looked like two thin capes going down his back. He turned his head towards Lloyd, who noticed his wine colored eyes, eyes that looked eerily similar to Luin's. He held an iron sword in his grip with a yellow guard. The man then spoke,

"You should get out of the way." His voice was deep and strong. Full of power and conviction.

Before Lloyd could say anything, the man turned back towards the Crusher who was on his feet and was glaring daggers at the mysterious man.

"Who the hell are you? No matter, I'll get rid of you just like I did those priests in the temple."

The man smiled and readied his hammer and began to approach the pair. Lloyd heard Collette's gasp from behind him and felt anger surge through his body like a flash flood. He gripped the sword as if it was that man's neck and he gave a glare that stopped the Crusher cold. The man turned back towards Lloyd and if one noticed well enough, they would've seen his eye widen slightly. If anyone were to pay even more attention they would have noticed what the mysterious man found so surprising. A very slight aura of light had enveloped Lloyd. It was white with a light shade of red.

"You bastard. You Desian bastard.! You cause nothing but pain and suffering and you kill innocent people. You even go so far as to try to kill the savior of the world! That- " Lloyd gripped his swords even tighter, he grounded his teeth and pointed one of his swords at the Crusher. "-is unforgivable!"

Lloyd then charged the man head on, he ran faster than he ever had in his life. He vaguely noticed the purple-clad man watching him before following his lead. The man threw his chain ball at Lloyd who swiftly dodged it and before the Crusher could take his chain back he cut through the steel links. The man then back stepped and reached for his hammer but before he could swing it, Lloyd ran and jumped onto the man's shoulders, using him as a stepping block to jump further into the sky. The Crusher was prepared to hit the runt out the sky when he noticed the purple-clad man charging him. The strange man dodged and parried his hammer attacks. This man was incredibly strong, he even took one of the Crusher's hammer strikes without flinching.

Because of this distraction, the Crusher completely forgot about Lloyd who was quickly descending on the large man. As he fell, Lloyd collected mana, his exsphere glowed and a slight light enveloped his blades. The Crusher was distracted by the purple-clad man who was holding his own against the heavy man. The auburn man looked up and jumped back to avoid a hammer strike and jumped further back to watch the attack. The Crusher then looked up and began to block with his hammer too little too late. Lloyd swung his blades down and growled with an undying fury,

"Demon Fang!!"

The following explosion brought Genis and Colette to their knees, while the mysterious man merely watched the smoke clear. When all was done, there was a miniature crater and in the center of it was the Crusher lying on his back with two monstrous slashes running across his upper body. Standing over him was a panting Lloyd, who turned back towards the others and stumbled back to them. Before he could get far enough, he heard a rustling sound and was amazed to see the Crusher get on his feet. The Crusher then made one final attempt to crush Lloyd with his hammer but before he could lift the hammer, the mysterious man ran up to the Crusher and thrusted forth saying, "Hurricane Thrust." The thrust blew the Crusher backwards and he became still.

Lloyd fell to his knees and began breathing deeply. 'Where did that surge of power come from?' Lloyd wondered as he turned and looked at the crater he had created. Colette and Genis ran up to Lloyd and looked at him in amazement,

"Wow Lloyd. I had no idea you were that strong!" Genis said excitedly. Lloyd smiled at him and weakly chuckled before he stood up with the aid of Colette.

"Yea me neither. Guess I don't know my own strength?"

"Still, that man is really good with the sword Lloyd. Did you see him? While you were in the air, he sparred with the Crusher and I'm pretty sure he didn't break a sweat." Genis said in awe of the auburn man who was currently staring at the commander, Botta.

"I guess so…" Lloyd mumbled, with a hint of jealousy in his voice.

They turned and looked at the remaining commander and his two Desian cronies. Botta stared at the enigmatic man before saying,

"Damn, We can't compete with him. Retreat for now." They ran past the pair and away from the Martel Temple.

An elderly woman came forth and looked at the man, then she studied Colette and the others.

"You guys are ok. I'm so relieved. Thank you sir." She said to the auburn haired man. She smiled as the trio approached her,

"Phaidra? What are you doing here?" Lloyd asked.

"I was here to witness Colette receive the oracle but then those horrible people attacked and…" she trailed off.

"I see, I'm so glad you weren't hurt grandmother." Colette let go of Lloyd and walked towards Phaidra and gave her a hug.

Phaidra then turned towards the man before saying,

"Thank you so much for protecting the Chosen. How can I repay you?"

The man then turned towards the blonde haired girl, he scrutinized her before saying,

"So this girl is the Chosen."

"Yes sir. I have to undergo the trial in there and accept the oracle." Chosen said with some pride. Before saying anything else she bowed towards the man, "Thank you for helping me and my friends."

"Think nothing of it." He responded.

The Chosen then turned to Genis and Lloyd, "Thanks guys for helping me out. Here take some apple gels, I know you could really use them Lloyd."

The duo graciously accepted the gels before scoffing them down and smiling back at Colette, Lloyd walked up and put his hand on her shoulder, "No problem Colette, I wasn't going to let some stupid Desians kill you." He looked at Genis,

"Any of you."

The man, upon hearing the boy's named turned to look at him,

"Your name is Lloyd?" He asked curiously. Lloyd didn't really like this guy at the moment, he seemed so arrogant. So he responded with something equally arrogant,

"And just who are you to ask for my name?"

The man narrowed his eyes slightly before turning to Phaidra and introducing himself,

"My name is Kratos Aurion.-" Genis eye's widened slightly at this "-and I am a mercenary. As long as you pay me well, I'd be more than willing to be the Chosen's bodyguard."

Phaidra looked at the Martel Temple and furrowed her brows,

"I suppose we don't have much of a choice. Your hired, please keep my granddaughter safe." She hugged Colette and kissed her on the forehead, "Good luck dear. I'll be waiting for you at home."

"So what's so scary about this trial?" Lloyd asked curiously.

"Most likely, the monsters in the temple." Kratos answered. Lloyd turned to Colette and smiled,

"Don't worry Collette, I'll protect you." Lloyd exclaimed proudly.

Kratos turned to him,

"No you won't, you'll stay here. Your low on energy and you'll just get in the way." Kratos said as a-matter-of factly.

Lloyd took one step towards Kratos but Genis put his hand on Lloyd's arm. Lloyd looked at Genis and crossed his arms. Then he smirked as an idea formed in his head.

"Fine. Genis and I will just tag along from a distance." Lloyd said. Kratos stared at the boy who stared back at him defiantly before saying,

"Your one stubborn child. Do whatever you want."

With that Kratos turned around and began to walk towards the temple. Genis pulled on Lloyd's arm,

"Wait. Why am I going?" he asked. Lloyd smiled at him and wrapped his arm around his shoulders,

"Cuz' buddy we're going to protect Colette and plus we'll see the beginning of the Journey of Regeneration."

Genis just sighed, already used to his antics,

"Let's get going then." Genis said as he and Lloyd started following Kratos and Colette into the temple.

Kratos sighed,

"This isn't a field trip you know."

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**So there's chapter 2 yaaay! I'm sorry if my descriptive skills concerning clothes are a little weak but I just don't know how Botta's vest works. Such a strange outfit. I'll try to get chapter 3 up on the double. Please review. Till next time! xD**


	7. Chapter 3:Father

**Hello there! Welcome to another fantastical story in the life of Luin, Lloyd and co. This chapter is not as long as the others but I felt it good to stop there. Also for future reference I shant be going into detail for every dungeon they go into, I'll probably just put the highlights somewhere in there. Anyway that's not important right now. Well, let me not keep you. Chapter 3 awaits, Happy Reading!**

**(I totally forgot about this lol) Disclaimer:Sadly, I do not own Tales of Symphonia. Luin and his silly antics are all that belongs to me :)**

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**Legacy of Luin**

_Chapter 3: Father_

The group entered the rather large temple and descended aging steps to a circular area in the center of the party stopped to look around at the temple. The walls were a sickly green and if one listened closely enough, you could hear the growl of the monsters lying in wait for their prey. Lloyd was the first to speak,

"Woah. So this is what the temple looks like on the inside." Genis turned to Colette,

"Say Colette, you've been in here a lot right? Is it always like this?" Genis asked inquiring about the odd lack of lighting and the unusual amount of monsters.

"Yes I have but...something's different about the temple somehow. There weren't any monsters in the temple last time." Colette responded looking at the temple's infrastructure.

Lloyd turned to them, "It doesn't matter, I'm sure we can handle a handful of ghosts and zombies. C'mon let's go!" Lloyd said excitedly.

Before Lloyd could take a step, Kratos put a hand on his shoulder,

"Lloyd, did you teach yourself swordsmanship?"

Lloyd brushed Kratos hand off his shoulder before he answered, "Well, my brother taught me how to use the sword and my techniques but he's usually gone so I have to practice by myself or with Genis. Why do you ask?"

Kratos looked at Lloyd before saying, "Just seeing if I can trust you not to poke someone's eye at least you know the basics." Before Lloyd could protest, Kratos turned and looked deeper into the temple, "I sense the presense of monsters so be on your guard."

The others tensed before moving to a set of steps opposite the entrance of the temple. Lloyd grumbled as he followed along, "Just cause' he's better at me doesn't mean he can insult me like that."

They saw that the door leading further up into the temple was blocked by some kind of energy. Colette made a puzzled face before saying,

"Hmm…that wasn't here last time."

Kratos stared at the force field,

"It must have been put there as part of the trial. Let's look around, perhaps we'll find something to help us get through this door."

So the party turned and took the stairs to the left. They traversed through the temple, battling various monsters until they reached a set of stairs leading deeper below the temple. Once down the stairs, they saw that they were on a giant blue platform that had square holes placed in various spots on the floor. They walked onto the platform and looked across the bottomless gap to see a floating object that looked like a floating…ring?

As they stared at the floating object, Colette turned and walked to something that attracted her attention, it looked like a giant rock…thing.

"Hey guys, look what I found!" She said excitedly as the others turned. Kratos eyes widened before he yelled,

"Get back you fool!"

With that he charged the rock golem and blocked what looked like to be a painful punch to Colette's tiny frame. Lloyd and Genis charged the golem as well. Genis launched some Fireballs at the monster while Lloyd, Kratos and Colette unleashed waves of attacks on the golem. Eventually the golem released a groan and folded on itself, becoming…a big square rock. The party stared at the rock,

"It turned into a…rock?" Colette said, obviously confused.

"Well technically, it was a rock to begin with, now it's just a big block. Wonder why it does that?" As Lloyd asked this question Colette tripped and conveniently pushed the rock into one of the square holes in the platform. The rock fell into a slot below where it now created a path for Lloyd and the others. As this happened Genis and Kratos both cried,

"Ah I see."

"I get it now."

Lloyd looked at the two before asking,

"Get what?"

Genis looked at his friend before looking around,

"Don't worry another one should appear any mo-there it is." Right on cue another golem phased into existence a couple of feet away from them. "Now all we have to do is defeat it and drop it down another hole."

Lloyd looked at Colette who just shrugged before he and the rest of the party attacked the unsuspecting golem, poor monster didn't have a chance. They defeated golem after golem, dropping the leftover blocks into many different holes before eventually they completed the path they were searching for. The group ran up the stairs and saw that it was indeed a floating ring. Genis gasped when he saw this,

"I can't believe it. It's the sorcerrers's ring!" Genis said enthusiastically.

When he noted Kratos' raised eyebrow he went on to explain, "The sorcerrer's ring is an ancient artifact of the Church of Martel."

Kratos then nodded his head in understanding before stating,

"With this, I'm sure we'll be able to deal with most traps now."

Lloyd then reached over and grabbed the ring, practically jumping up and down,

"Oh I wanna try it!"

And before anyone could voice protest he slipped the ring on his middle finger. He looked at it,

"It's kinda warm."

Kratos shook his head, Colette giggled and Genis merely sighed. Lloyd turned to the others,

"Well let's get going."

The group retraced their steps to the front of the temple where they first encountered the force field. Lloyd pointed the ring at the force field expecting…something. He tried putting his hand in different positions and even muttered an 'open says me!' but nothing worked. When nothing happened he turned to the others,

"Hey, umm, How does this thing work anyway?"

"You just have to focus some of your mana into the ring and something should happen." Genis said logically.

"Are you sure?" Lloyd asked. Genis shook his head,

"No, but do you have a better idea?" He asked skeptically.

Lloyd nodded and once again pointed the ring at the force field however this time he focused his mana into the ring. Luin had taught him about mana control and how important it was to know how to store it and channel it. Suddenly a small burst of fire shot out of the ring and hit the force field. The force field instantly disappeared and the door it was guarding opened and behind it lied a purple portal on the ground. Lloyd beamed and turned to Genis,

"Hey it worked!"

"Duh. Why wouldn't it work." Genis replied with a smirk. Lloyd's eye's narrowed,

"You knew how to work it the whole time didn't you?" Lloyd asked. Genis eyes widened as he feigned innocence,

"Lloyd, I would _never _do something like that." Genis chuckled and Colette giggled. Lloyd turned and muttered,

"Asshole."

Lloyd was the first through the portal, the others followed and looked around at the room. The room was dome-shaped and there were a couple of windows showing a beautiful view that stretched for miles. On the walls were drawings of thorns weaving around one another and making their way to the ceiling. What held their attention the most was the strange purple alter in the center of the room, on which lied a small red orb that glowed brightly. Lloyd looked at the small orb in wonder before asking,

"So, is that the Cruxis Crystal?"

"Yep, they say I was clutching it when I was born." Colette responded.

Before anyone could comment, there was a sound from above and the others looked up and gasped. In the ceiling there was a circle about as wide as the alter below, it resembled calm waters until a glowing yellow orb slipped through the ceiling and the water image become rippled. The glowing orb descened until it floated about 12ft off the ground. There was a bright flash and when Lloyd looked there was a figure. He was floating in the air, the pure white wings on his back keeping him afloat. The man had blonde hair and blue eyes. He wore the same clothings of the priests except his colors were white, tael and green. He stared at the assembled group of humans for a moment. Then he spoke,

"My name is Remial. I am an angel of judgement. I have appeared before you to guide Colette on her journey to heaven as the seventh Chosen of Mana." His voice was calm and arrogant. Remial lowered himself a little before speaking again,

"The time has come to awaken the Goddess Martel, who sleeps at the center of the world."

Genis could hardly believe it, it was just like the legends Raine had taught them. Remial lifted his hand and the Cruxis Crystal began to float, it then moved towards Colette where it attached itself to the front of her neck. When it touched her skin, the jewel began to glow brighter and brighter. When the glow died, Colette had a necklace with the Cruxis Crystal embedded in the middle. Colette, with her hands together in a praying form, looked up to Remial. Remial then continued,

"From this moment on, Colette is officially the Chosen of Regeneration. Cruxis blesses this event and in celebration of this grand occasion, bestows upon Sylvarant the Tower of Salvation."

As the words left Remial's mouth, Lloyd and the others turned towards the windows and looked at the behomoth tower. The gray tower stretched on and on, seemingly neverending. It even seems to pierce the heavens. Lloyd stared in amazement before whispering,

"So this is the Tower of Salvation."

Genis was also in a state of shock. However it didn't take long for him to break into a smile,

"Now the world will be saved!"

Remial looked at the humans nonplused before speaking again,

"Colette, Chosen of Regeneration. Your duty is to unlock the seals that guard the Tower of Salvation and climb the stairway to heaven"

Colette bowed her head before saying,

"I humbly accept this task."

Remial nodded his head and continued,

"We of Cruxis will grant you the power of the angels with every seal you unlock. When you are reborn as an angel, this dying world shall be saved."

"Thank you. I swear on my life that I wll regenerate the world." Colette then whispered to herself, "No matter the cost."

Remial smiled on the inside as his angel senses heard the Chosen,

"Good, good. Now head South to the Seal of Fire. We shall meet there again."

With his job done Remial began to ascend back to the heavens, however before he could get far away Colette cried out,

"Wait! Please wait!"

Remial stopped and stared at the girl,

"I have to know, are you…are you truly my fa-" Before she could finish Remial interrupted her,

"First head to the Seal of Fire, we will meet there. My beloved daughter, Colette." Remial smirked at his cleverness, on the inside of course. It'd be a little disturbing for an angel to break into random evil smirks.

"Fa-Father! It's really you." Colette exclaimed, practically on the verge of tears.

"We'll meet again at the next seal, Colette, my daughter." With that Remial turned into a glowing ball and with an unknown burst of speed, flew up and away.

Colette put her hand to her chest and joyous tears fell from her eyes,

"I can't believe it's him. My real…father." She smiled and Genis came up to her and patted her on the back before saying,

"Well…congratulations Colette. Your officially the Chosen of Regeneration."

Lloyd chuckled and walked up to Colette, he put a hand on her shoulder,

"How do you feel?"

Colette dried her tears and smiled at her best friends,

"I'm fine, I was just surprised. I finally know the truth about my father." Colette said.

As they spoke to one another, none of them noticed the enigmatic Kratos, with his arms crossed across his chest. His unwavering gaze that never left the young brunette. None of them could possibly know the inner turmoil in his chest, the silent anxiety eating away at him. His son, believed to have been dead for 17 years and yet...there he was.

Laughing. Breathing. Living.

* * *

**Well there ya go. Hope you liked it. Next chapter will be a prelude to the Iselia attack :D :D. Can't wait to write it. Till next time! **


	8. Chapter 4:The Calm Before The Storm

**Yawn. Man I'm tired but I had to get this chapter out of the way before I went to bed. This chapter was fun to write and I hope you enjoy reading it. So I humbly present chapter 4. Happy Reading! xD**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia or any characters affiliated with it.**

* * *

Legacy of Luin

_Chapter 4: The Calm Before the Storm_

"Well if you are quite finished, the Chosen and I will take our leave." Kratos said.

Obviously annoyed at the time wasted conversing, Kratos stepped into the portal and in an instant, he was gone. Colette moved towards the portal, but before she entered it she turned to the others,

"Hey when you guys get back to the village, stop by my place ok?" And with a wave she was gone.

Lloyd stared at the spot where she disappeared, thinking about the day's events when Genis spoke,

"I guess the rumor is true then…"

"What are you talking about Genis?" Lloyd asked confused.

"That Colette is the daughter of an angel and is not related to her current father."

A look of annoyance passed briefly over Lloyd's face as he spoke,

"That doesn't matter. Even if Frank's not related to her by blood, family is family. We know that better than anyone."

"Yea your right, I'm sorry." Genis said, ashamed at saying such a thing.

Lloyd sighed before waving it off,

"Nah it's fine. Anyway let's get going, I don't know about you but I'm pretty tired." Lloyd said.

Genis nodded and the two made their way to the portal and was transported to the bottom level of the temple. The duo walked down the stairs only to see a figure in an orange coat and short silver hair looking around the temple in an almost…insane manner. The figure's head shot up and shouted out, "Marvelous!!"

Genis's eye twitched, knowing this all too familiar feeling. He needed to get Lloyd out of here before he saw Raine's…condition. However before he could so much as warn his friend, Lloyd called out,

"Umm Professor Sage.?"

Raine visibly jumped as she turned around to see Lloyd and her brother staring at her. One looking at her with concern, the other…with rational terror. Raine then narrowed her eyes at the pair,

"Did I not make myself clear when I told you both to stay in class?!"

The boy's eyes widened in unison and as one they looked at each other in fear, panic and desperation. In that one moment, their minds connected on one basic thought.

Oh…Shit.

Raine approached Genis with all the malevolence of an all powerful warlord. Every step she took, Genis could swear the ground shook, he fell to his knees in a final moment of desperation,

"Raine…w-we had to go…to p-protect Colette."

When he noticed her still advancing figure he pointed at Lloyd and cried,

"Lloyd made me do it! I'm sorry!"

Raine stopped just short of Genis and stared down at him with her coldest glare and with an icy voice said, "I know Genis, I know."

Before Genis could even make a step to run, Raine's hand lashed out and gripped Genis by his collar. In one fluid motion she picked him up, flipped him over and had Genis over her knee. All that was left was to deliver punishment. Genis looked in terror at Raine's upheld hand. Out of respect Lloyd looked away, saving Genis the embarrassment. When Raine was finished with Genis, she turned her head slightly towards Lloyd before saying,

"Your turn Lloyd."

"Wait…Professor, let's think about th-!"

He too could only stare as he watched in fear and admittedly, in awe as the Professor spun around, picked her leg up and delivered one of the best roundhouse kicks this year. Before Lloyd could finish his sentence, Raine's boot connected with his face and the momentum sent him flying across the room and into a nearby wall. His body slid down the wall and his head slumped forward.

With punishment delivered, Raine looked down at a panting Genis who was on his hands and knees. He weakly looked up to her,

"What are you…going to do?"

Raine looked at Lloyd for a moment, wondering if he she had hit him a bit too hard before answering,

"I have permission from Phaidra to study the temple. Both of you go home, class is over for today." With that the Professor turned and walked down a corridor.

Genis got up and walked over to a breathless Lloyd. He offered his hand to Lloyd, who accepted it gratefully. As they stood, catching their breathes and their energy, Lloyd shook his head before weakly smiling,

"Man, your sister can be more terrifying than any monster in this temple. Is it just me or have her kicks gotten stronger?" Lloyd said.

"She has a doll of you at home Lloyd." At this Lloyd's head tilted in confusion, "She uses it to vent her anger, so far I've had to stitch it back about…fourteen times. This year." Genis said and began walking towards the entrance. Lloyd started laughing nervously as he caught up with Genis,

"Hahaha that's really funny Genis."

"I wasn't kidding." Genis replied all too seriously.

Lloyd gulped as he and Genis reached the entrance, however before they stepped outside they heard a cry of pleasure and then a laugh that Lloyd would later admit to being one of the greatest evil laughs he ever heard. Lloyd turned back towards the temple,

"Wonder what that was?" Lloyd asked curiously. Genis began pushing Lloyd out of the temple while saying,

"Trust me, I'd be better if you never found out."

Lloyd just shrugged and the duo made their way back to the village. After they reached the village, they decided to stop by Colette's before heading home. Colette's home was a simple two story cottage. As they entered, they could hear the sounds of adults talking. Once inside they saw that there were a collection of people sitting at a large brown table. There was Kratos, the Mayor of Iselia, Phaidra, Frank and finally Colette. The Mayor spoke up,

"All right then, it's decided. We shall entrust the protection of the Chosen to Kratos and Raine."

Kratos nodded his head,

"I have no objections." The others turned their head to the new visitors and Colette's face brightened visibly,

"Oh hey guys. Thank you so much for your help earlier."

Phaidra flashed the boys a warm smile,

"Yes boys, thank you so much."

Lloyd smiled back,

"No problem. Hey were you guys talking about the Journey of Regeneration?" Lloyd asked excitedly.

"Yes we were." Phaidra responded.

"Great! I wanna go too. I want to be there when Colette regenerates the world." Lloyd said and following his lead Genis spoke up,

"Yea and if Raine's going, I'm going too."

"No."

Kratos' voice crushed any hopes of travel, "You'll only get in the way. Those monsters in the temple are nothing compared to the ones you'll eventually face on this journey. Children-"he emphasized the 'children', "need to stay home."

Lloyd opened his mouth to speak but the Mayor beat him to it, "Kratos is absolutely right. This is business for adults. Please go home."

Lloyd glared at Kratos before turning and storming out the house with Genis in his wake. Kratos watched unenthused before sighing inwardly in relief,

'At least this way he'll be safe and once this is over, I can come back for him.' Kratos thought.

* * *

Outside Lloyd and Genis walked out of the house, as soon as the door closed behind them Lloyd growled,

"I cannot believe him! Just cause he's so much better than me he thinks he can tell me, I mean us, what to do?!"

The door opened and the boys turned to see Colette walk out of the house.

"Guys, please wait." Colette said and in her rush forgot to look where she was going causing her to slip and fall on her butt.

Lloyd and Genis sweat dropped as they watched her get up and brush herself off.

"I'm sorry." Colette said sadly

"Why are you apologizing, it's not like it's your fault." Lloyd said nonchalantly.

"Yea your right…I'm sorry." Colette repeated again.

"Listen! Ah forget it."

Colette smiled weakly and looked at Lloyd. If only he knew how much she was sorry for. 'I'm sorry for not being strong enough for you, I'm sorry for leaving you here, I'm sorry for the grief I'm going to put you though. Most of all, I'm sorry for not telling you how much you mean to me.' She wished she could say that, but all that came out was a smile, her ever-faithful lie. Before she could say anything Genis spoke up suddenly,

"Oh yeah! Happy Birthday Colette!!" With a smile he produced a bag of cookies, he looked sadly at her then,

"All I got you were some cookies, if I had known you'd be leaving tomorrow I would've made something special."

Colette quickly shook her head and took the cookies,

"No it's fine. I love your cookies Genis."

Genis turned to Lloyd,

"So Lloyd, what about Colette's gift. Remember the necklace you were gonna make her."

Lloyd looked at Colette and Genis before scratching the back of his neck nervously,

"Uhh yea, it's…not done yet but uhh I'll have it done by tomorrow ok?"

Colette smiled in her all knowing way before saying,

"Ok sure, I'll come by your place tonight to tell you when we're leaving tomorrow."

Colette waved towards the two and turned before going back inside to oversee how she would spend what's left of her life.

Genis turned to Lloyd, disappointed but not surprised,

"You forgot didn't you?"

Lloyd chuckled before responding,

"Nooo…but if I start now I'll have it done by morning, perhaps even tonight."

Genis shook his head. Then he looked around at the village before asking Lloyd,

"Umm…your going home now right?"

Lloyd turned to look at Genis, noting his odd behavior,

"Yes…why do you ask?"

"Can we make a quick stop on the way there? I want to visit a friend and tell her about the oracle." Genis said.

Lloyd's eyes narrowed in suspicion,

"I didn't know you had friends outside the village. Well, besides me anyway."

Genis sighed in annoyance,

"Does it really matter? Let's go by my place first so I can get some ingredients." Genis said and before Lloyd could protest, walked off in the direction of his house.

The Sages home was a nice, homey, one story house with a pond in the front yard. There was also a dog who frequently visited them and so they had taken the responsibility of naming the female dog, Virginia. Raine had picked the name, saying she liked the sound of it. No one in the village really accepted Virginia, she fitted right in with the Sages.

Virginia's tail wagged as she spotted Genis and went up to him and licked his face. Genis patted her on the head and went inside with Lloyd. As Genis collected ingredients Lloyd took the moment to walk around the house.

He had never had a good look inside their house before. As he walked back to Genis, Lloyd heard a chuckle and a quick, "Catch!" Lloyd's reflexes kicked in and before he could think he sidestepped whatever Genis had thrown at him and grabbed it by the back of its…head? Lloyd turned the object around…and immediately dropped it with a gasp while he jumped back away from it. On the floor was a stuffed animal, actually it was a stuffed Lloyd doll. It looked weary and abused. One eye was missing and there were multiple patches in it, evidence of Genis's constant efforts to keep it together. Lloyd glared at Genis who was rolling on the floor laughing, tears coming out of his eyes.

"Holy crap! Hahahaha! Oh that was funny." Genis cried in hysteria.

As he looked up he saw an angry Lloyd glaring at him with fists clenched. Genis's laughter faded quickly but before Lloyd could begin tearing him apart, Genis threw a chair in front of Lloyd and bolted out of the door with his ingredients in a bag on his back. He looked back and saw a flash of red before he felt a powerful force tackle him to the ground. To make the story short, Genis loss. So now he was forced to walk with his underwear halfway up his ass.

The two walked to the entrance to see the guards with their hands full trying to keep Noishe out the village. The guards yelled at Lloyd to take care of his animal thing and Lloyd responded, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world that, 'He's a dog!'

To which the two guards merely looked at the boy and shook their heads. Lloyd found that people do that a lot when he says things. 'Wonder why?' He thought briefly as he and Genis headed for the forest.

Once in the forest, Lloyd and Genis reached a crossroads. Forwards to Dirk's house and left to go to…the Iselian Human Ranch. When Genis turned to the left, Lloyd grabbed his arm.

"Hey, what're you doing?" Lloyd asked

"I'm going to see my friend." Genis stated

"But Genis, if we go there you'll violate the non-aggression treaty." Lloyd said trying to get Genis not to go. Lloyd had a bad feeling about this.

"They already violated the treaty!" Genis practically shouted. He tugged his arm away,

"You don't have to come with me, I just have to tell my friend about the oracle." Genis said and turned to walk to the ranch when a gentle hand placed itself on his shoulder. Lloyd smiled at his friend,

"Alright, I'll go with you. Friends have to stick together right?" Lloyd said. Genis smiled and led Lloyd to an open fence on the left side of the Human Ranch.

The Iselian Human Ranch reeked of death. The cold steel walls offered no love and no mercy. One look at the 8ft tall closed steel doors said, 'You're trapped in here now. Welcome to Hell.' The sounds of whip hitting flesh quickly made their way to the boys ears but they went on. The guards that were 'motivating' the humans decided to take their break. Genis and Lloyd made their way to the large fence and saw an old woman with aging gray hair. She was about as tall as Lloyd and her smile was a beacon in the darkness. She looked at the boys before speaking,

"Genis! Is that you? Is this your friend?"

"Marble!" Genis responded and reached through the spaces in the fence to give Marble a hug.

"This is my friend Lloyd. Did you see it Marble? The oracle?"

Marble nodded towards Lloyd,

"Pleased to meet you and yes Genis I did see it. Now the Journey of Regeneration can finally begin." Marble looked down sadly, "I hope this Chosen is successful…"

Lloyd looked up and said,

"Yea. The last Chosen failed right? I hope Colette will be alright."

Marble bowed her head in reverence, "Then let us pray for her safety."

As Lloyd bowed his head he noticed a shining jewel embedded in Marble's skin. On the back of her left hand. It was a deep blue color.

"Um hey, grams-"

"Her name is Marble, Lloyd." Genis said.

"Yea Marble…is that an exsphere? Lemme see your hand for a sec."

Marble raised her hand and looked at it,

"Oh is that what this is? They put it on me right after I entered."

Lloyd studied Marble's hand,

"Yea that's definitely an exsphere but…there's no key crest. It's dangerous to have an exsphere with no key crest, however it's also dangerous to try and remove one without a key crest." Lloyd said expertly. Lloyd didn't know much academically but when it came to dwarven arts, Lloyd was an ace student.

Genis looked at Marble worriedly before turning to Lloyd,

"Please Lloyd you have to do something. Your dad's a dwarf right? Can you try and get a key crest for Marble? Please." Genis begged. Lloyd looked at Genis and saw how desperate he was. Lloyd sighed,

"How could I say no? I'll try to get one if I can Marble."

Marble looked at Lloyd,

"Please don't worry about me."

Suddenly a voice called out of nowhere,

"Hey you old bitch! Who told you to slack off?!" The voice was angry.

Marble turned towards the voice,

"Oh damn. Please you have to go. Now!"

Lloyd and Genis looked at each other before running off,

"Sorry Grams." Lloyd said over his shoulder.

As Lloyd and Genis ran they could hear more yelling, then the whipping began. Genis turned and glared at the Human Ranch, as if glaring at it would stop Marble's suffering,

"Dammit. There must be something we could do Lloyd." Genis said angrily. Lloyd had never really seen Genis this way before, it was quite startling for Lloyd. However Lloyd could see where he was coming from. He spotted a cliff that overlooked the whole ranch,

"There. We can get a better view up there."

Genis nodded and the boys made their way quickly up the cliff-face. As they looked down, they saw there were three Desians, they had Marble facing the wall. Their whips tore through her prisoner outfit and ripped the flesh off her skin. She cried in pain. Genis's fists clenched until he was sure he was bleeding,

"We have to do something Lloyd. I can't stand here and watch this."

"I feel the same way." In a rare moment of intellect, Lloyd devised a plan,

"Genis, shoot the guards with some of your fireballs and then I'll get their attention. While their distracted you get away."

Genis nodded his head before digging in his pocket,

"Here take these cookies for your health."

When Lloyd was recharged and ready, Genis casted a Fireball spell and with all his anger hurled three fireballs at the three Desians. When they turned around, Lloyd jumped on the top of the Desian stronghold, making sure to be seen, before jumping onto the ground. When the doors opened two of the Desians began to chase after Lloyd. That was until they head a small thud and an audible, "Ow." The Desians turned and headed for Genis but before they saw who it was, Lloyd blocked their path.

Lloyd quickly withdrew his swords and immediately began assaulting the two Desian soldiers. They tried to catch Lloyd with their whips but he was merely too nimble and before they could call for reinforcements, Lloyd cut through a Desian's throat, then Lloyd pivoted on his heel and performed a Sonic Thrust on the Desian behind him effectively ending it's life. Lloyd sheathed his swords and without thinking ran for the edge of the cliff and jumped.

* * *

As Genis met up with Lloyd at the edge of the Iselian Forest, a man with green hair and a gold cannon on his left arm walked up to the edge of the cliff. Lloyd's plan had been good, it would've been flawless had he known about the miraculous technology known as security cameras. Security cameras that captured Lloyd's muscular body killing two of green hair man's soldiers. He gave the order for the cameras to be studied but that was at the edge of his mind. As he looked down at the cliff face, which to his calculations was about 80ft deep, he could only ask himself one question,

"How did a mere human make that kind of jump?"

The answer?

Lloyd was no mere human. Not anymore.

* * *

Of course, being true to his title of 'Mr. Oblivious', all of these things flew over Lloyd's head as he walked to his father's home. For some reason he felt excited…yet terrified. His heart was beating hard in his chest. He could feel it in the air, in the wind. Something was going to happen. Something big. It was probably just some storm making it's way over the ocean.

This time, Lloyd wasn't completely incorrect. A storm was approaching Iselia but the magnitude of it would be something no one could have predicted.

* * *

**A pretty lengthly chapter but it was worth it. Next up is one of my favorite parts in Tales, Iselia's scaarrryyyy. hehe :) Till next time!**


	9. Chapter 5:Angels&Demons

**Wow! It's been forever since I looked at this. I can honestly say I kinda forgot about this...or maybe I fell into a lazy slump. I don't know. But today I wondered about my good friends Luin and co. and decided I should continue their story. Maybe the main reason I remember'd this story is because of the fact that I got a cane sword too :p hehe wootz! Well here it is! Chapter 5! :D Happy Reading**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Luin and his never-ending awesome :)**

* * *

**Legacy of Luin**

_Chapter 5:Angels&Demons_

Lloyd opened the door to the place he has come to call home. Upon hearing the door open, Dirk looked up from his work and looked at Lloyd,

"Oye! It's about time ya' got home. Where ya been?" Dirk inquired. Lloyd merely shrugged as he slowly made his way over to the family table,

"Oooohhh nowhere really. Hey dad can I ask you something?" Lloyd said before Dirk could comment.

"Aye…" Dirk said cautiously. What could this be about?

"Do you think you could make me…oh I don't know..a key crest by any chance?" Lloyd asked meekly.

Dirk's eyes narrowed suspiciously,

"And just exactly why would you need a key crest Lloyd?"

"I met someone today who had an exsphere but she didn't have a key crest….so I was wondering if you could make one." Lloyd said hoping his answer would satisfy Dirk's curiosity.

It didn't.

"Really now…and who was this person?" Dirk asked

"It was this really random….mercenary. Yea! A traveling mercenary." Lloyd replid nodding, thinking that would be enough.

Oh how wrong he was.

"Bologna! Exsphere's are mainly worn by Desians. Tell me the truth Lloyd. You do remember Dwarven vow 11 or am I going to have to reteach you?" Dirk asked threateningly and Lloyd, having revisited some of his darker memories of his childhood, caved,

"Well you see, It's really funny, Genis has this friend and she was a nice old lady and she had an exsphere with no-" Before Lloyd could finish, Dirk interrupted him,

"Lloyd. Please tell me you didn't go to the ranch."

"Um..well if you don't want me to tell you then…"

"YOU WENT TO THE RANCH!?" Dirk yelled.

Uh-oh.

"I-im sorry dad, really, we were there and these Desians started whipping her and we helped out but I ran I swear!" Lloyd said, hurriedly trying to explain himself.

Dirk stared at Lloyd for awhile, calming himself down before speaking again,

"Did they see your exsphere?" He asked.

"Of course not!" Lloyd said, his right hand instinctively covering the wrapped bandage hiding the blue orb. "But…Dad..Why is it so important to keep my exsphere hidden. I mean the man who came today wore his own proudly in the open."

Dirk sighed, knowing full well where this conversation would eventually lead, but Lloyd was a young man now, he deserved to know the truth.

Dirk opened his mouth to respond but he felt a firm hand on his shoulder and turned to see Luin. Luin smiled sadly at Dirk,

"It's alright Dirk, I got this one."

Dirk nodded in understanding before crossing his arms in front of his chest.

Luin stared at his nephew,

'He has grown so much, hasn't he?' he wondered to himself. He steeled his features and answered Lloyd's question,

"Your exsphere is special Lloyd because it has special, awesome capabilities. Your exesphere is so special that your blood father helped your mother, Anna, escape from a Human Ranch. It's so special that the Desians hunted them for the next two years. That exsphere"-Luin pointed at Lloyd's hand- " is so important to the Desians that they killed your mother to try and take it from her."

Lloyd was speechless throughout Luin's explanation. His mind was desperately trying to comprehend what it was his older brother was explaining to him. The Desians killed his mother....all for this..THIS ROCK!? Luin's head turned slightly to the property's entrance,

"It would appear we have visitors" He said to no one in particular. Luin turned his attention back to Lloyd and immediately knew something was about to happen. He got his Katz cane ready.

"WHY DIDN"T YOU TELL ME!?" Lloyd practically screamed at his caregivers. Dirk and Luin looked at each other before Dirk spoke,

"If we had told you, you would've done somethin' stupid like run off trying to get revenge for your mum." Dirk then walked up to Lloyd, "Your mother gave her life for that exsphere, don't go throwing it away."

Lloyd remained silent, staring at his mother's keepsake to him,

"So will you make the key crest or not?"

Dirk clenched his fists,

"Have you been listening at all boy?!" Dirk yelled,

"Yea I heard you!" Lloyd yelled back, "What do you expect me to do? Nothing? How can I not do anything now that I kn-"

He was cut off as Dirk's fist came up and connected with his jaw.

That was the tipping point, Lloyd exploded.

Lloyd recovered quickly and with an inhuman speed, Lloyd grabbed Dirks' collar and slammed his body into the brimestone, the force of the action evident by the cracks leading away from the dwarf's body. Lloyd knew what he was doing was wrong but he couldn't care less. He could feel a change in him, this rush of power, it was unimaginable, terrifying yet Lloyd found himself enjoying it. Luin could feel Lloyd's mana rising.

'Enough is enough.' Luin thought to himself.

So without a second thought Luin ran up to Lloyd and kicked him squarely in the chest, the momentum of the kick sent Lloyd's body spiraling off of Dirk and through the front door. Coincidentaly, it was at that exact moment that Colette tripped while moving towards the Irving's front door. Good thing too. She would've been ploughed through by an airborne Lloyd missile. Genis's eyes nearly popped out of his head, Raine's mouth dropped open and Kratos…well he just lifted an eyebrow. Lloyd landed in the small stream that ran through the Irving's frontyard. It was safe to say that Lloyd was pissed. He looked up to see Luin casually strolling towards him, twirling his cane,

"You shouldn't disrespect your father Lloyd. It's quite rude."

Lloyd drew his sword and lunged at Luin in one very swift motion. However Luin was prepared and merely sidestepped the lunge,

"Really now Lloyd? Your going to attack me?" Luin asked skeptically.

As an answer, Lloyd spun on his heel and perfromed a Sonic Thrust at Luin's midsection. Luin parried the blow but was surprised to see Lloyd already changing tactics and firing a Demon Fang at him. Luin smiled inwardly, Lloyd's training was progressing beautifully.

"Don't get so cocky boy!" Luin lectured as he too began to fight in earnest.

Lloyd and Luin attacked each other relentlessly. They twirled and slashed and blocked and parried. Lloyd jumped and with all his strength performed an overhead slash that made Luin's hand's go numb. They stood, blades interlocked, Lloyd glaring at Luin with as much distaste as he could muster. Luin observed Lloyd's appearance, he hadn't changed physically and yet….he was glowing, not enough to be seen by the human eye but it was much more noticeable with the lack of daylight. Luin couldn't help but be proud, Lloyd's angel powers were finally showing themselves. Time to see what his nephew could do.

"Interesting. It would seem your training has finally paid off. I guess I can stop holding back now, but prepare yourself Lloyd. Prepare yourself for a punishment you'll never forget." Luin said.

With that warning, Luin tapped into the ethereal energy inside and he too began to glow with a divine hue.

With this nostalgic feeling of power flowing through him Luin went on the offensive. He pushed Lloyd off of him, the strength knocking the young man back twenty feet. Lloyd looked back only to see a blur of movement and an explosion of mana heading towards him. Lloyd nimbly sidestepped the Demon Fang only to be met by a powerful Sonic Thrust aimed at his chest. Lloyd barely parried the move and made a slash at Luin's exposed side. However before his blade could get close, it was swatted away and he was knocked back. Luin and Lloyd had a brief stand off before they lunged. Blades flying, all that could be heard throughout the yard was the sound of steel on steel, and the grunts of Lloyd desperately trying to keep up with Luin's newfound strength.

'What's going on?' Lloyd asked himself, 'His speed has increased three fold! I can't even touch him and it's taking all my energy and focus just to defend against him.'

Lloyd slashed at Luin but was surprised to see a hand clamp around his wrist and before he could free himself, a knee was driven into his stomach and he was tossed across the yard. Lloyd looked up and yelped as he saw Luin's blade making it's way towards his face. Lloyd quickly batted the sword away and rolled out the way and performed a back-flip to put space between himself and Luin. As he landed he instinctively crossed his swords in a defensive stance. This blocked the incoming strike from Luin. As Lloyd contemplated his next course of action he noted two things.

First off, the sword was back in it's shealth and he was now cradling the cane in between his swords. Secondly he noticed Luin smirking. His mind put the pieces together the moment Luin decided to end the fight.

"Spiral Flare!" Luin yelled and Lloyd quickly stepped back and formed a guardian to take the blunt of the blast. The two forces collided and the preceeding explosion sent Lloyd flying into a nearby tree. Luin was left relatively unharmed and surveyed the damage. Lloyd was still still standing but his body was trembling and his chest was on fire, though it appeared he hadn't noticed this yet. Luin couldn't help but chuckle, typical Lloyd.

Luin pointed to Lloyd,

"Your chest's on fire."

Lloyd looked down and yelped, he began patting the fire, hoping to snuff it out. Luin merely laughed before pointing his cane at Lloyd,

"Hey Lloyd!"

Lloyd looked up, "Huh?"

"Aqua Edge!"

Four shards of water shot at Lloyd and hit him squarely in the chest, knocking him off his feet and subsequently putting out the fire.

For a moment, everyone was still. Luin cleared his throat and pointed to Lloyd,

"Somebody should probably go check if he's...oh I don't know..alive maybe?" Luin said skeptically and at once everyone went into motion.

Raine, Colette and Genis ran over to the red-clad teen's body to check on his injuries. Kratos stayed in the background, rerunning the battle in his head, going over every aspect of it.

'Their bodies were glowing with angelic power, his son was using angelic power!? But how?…Who is this man?'

All these questions flashed through Kratos's mind as he watched Luin. Luin walked to Lloyd's body and saw his injuries, just some minor burns, maybe a cracked rib. Nothing too serious, he should be healed by tomorrow Luin figured. As Raine was healing him Luin began to speak,

"Lloyd, do you understand why we didn't tell you now?"

Lloyd turned his head away from Luin and stared off into the forest. After awhile Lloyd sighed and nodded.

"Good. Remember this lesson Lloyd. If you want to live long you have to learn to pick your battles more wisely. If I were a different opponent, there's a good chance you'd be dead."

Slowly, Lloyd turned his head towards Luin,

"You felt that energy just now didn't you? That divine energy? That is the reason why I've trained you so hard in the art of mana control Lloyd. To prepare you to handle this delicate and dangerous power. This power is great Lloyd, but the responsibility that comes with it is far greater. You have to be ready to shoulder that responsibility, for your sake and the sake of those around you. I gave you this power Lloyd because I saw in you the ability to change the world for the better."

Luin sighed and began walking towards the house. He stopped and turned his head towards Lloyd,

"Don't make me regret giving you these awesome abilities Lloyd." Luin directed his attention to Raine, "Help him inside will you?" He asked before turning and making his way back to the house.

* * *

After things had settled down, Lloyd was able to talk with everybody, but most importantly to Colette.

"I'm so happy that I was able to see you again before I leave tomorrow." Colette said.

"Yea. Umm…I'm sorry I wasn't able to finish your necklace in time." Lloyd apologized as he nervously rubbed the back of his neck.

"Oh don't worry about that Lloyd it's just a present." Colette responded

"But it's your birthday. Your always supposed to get gifts on your birthday." Lloyd said saddly. Colette giggled,

"Well, will you just wish me Happy Birthday then?" Lloyd laughed and hugged Colette,

"Happy Birthday Colette." Colette blushed,

"Thanks Lloyd."

They let go of each other and Lloyd sighed,

"I guess I can't come with you guys tomorrow huh?" He said sadly,

"I'm sorry Lloyd…it's just that we'll be going through all kinds of dangerous situations and I care about you too much to see you get hurt." Colette explained.

"Yea I understand. It's just that I can't stand to live in a village that has a treaty with those…monsters." Lloyd said in disgust.

Colette put her hand on his,

"We leave tomorrow at noon. Why don't you come around then." She said softly, avoiding eye contact.

"Really!? Oh that's great! I'll be able to watch you become an angel! How cool is that?"

Colette giggled,

"Yup. I just wonder…how much I'll change..."

"Not at all." Lloyd answered so stenly it took Colette by surprise. "No matter what happens. You'll always be you. Never forget that Colette." Lloyd said as he looked at her. She turned away to giggle and look at the moon.

"Hehe you sounded like Kratos just now." Colette teased

"Oh please!" Lloyd responded, sounding revolted. They both began to laugh as they chatted the night away talking about angels, world regeneration and Kratos's moods.

Throughout it all, Colette smiled and laughed, cracked jokes on Lloyd and Kratos' similarities. Yet on the inside her emotional walls were showing signs of defeat. She wanted so much to tell Lloyd how much she loved him, how important he was to her, the truth about the world regeneration, but as always she hid behind a childish smile and innocent angel blue eyes, her ever-present facade. She sometimes hoped that she would be able to show somebody her true-self, but she wasn't naïve. She knew her time was slowly ending, and she would preserve this face no matter.

This was her starring role after all, time for her final performance.

* * *

**Well that was fun. I enjoyed writing that fight haha But then again I always enjoy writing fight scenes, who doesn't? Till next time! :)**


	10. Chapter 6:Rock You Like A Hurricane!

**Legacy of Luin**

_Chapter 6: Rock You Like A Hurricane!_

The next day, Lloyd awoke with a sore body and a dull ahce in the middle of his chest. For a moment, he wondered why he felt this way. Then he recalled the incident last night and immediately felt guilty. He had attacked his father…AND his older brother. Lloyd looked out the window and saw that the sky was covered with dark foreboding clouds. He pushed himself off the bed and grunted at the effort,

"Well, at least I got what I deserved. I still have to apologize to them though."

So with that in mind, the young man got dressed, equipped his swords and ran down the stairs. He was surprised to see that no one downstairs. This did not bode well with Lloyd. His father and Luin were always early risers but he didn't worry he knew where they'd be. He noticed that the there was a new front door and Lloyd couldn't help but chuckle. Oddly enough that's the third time a door has been kicked down in the house. Lloyd shrugged the thought off as he stepped outside and walked around the house to where his mother's grave stood. Dirk stood in front of it, saying nothing. As he normally did whenever him and Lloyd had a fight. As Lloyd walked over to him, he noticed a pack lying on the ground. He stood behind Dirk, waiting for him to acknowledge him. Finally, Dirk turned to look at Lloyd. After a brief silence Dirk spoke,

"You went to the ranch. You attacked me,your father. You broke down the front door and you had the nerve to fight Luin. Your very lucky your alive right now boy." Dirk spoke in a very even, deadly voice, "What have you got to say for yourself?"

As he spoke Lloyd's head sank further and further until he was staring at his shoes. After awhile he lifted his head and fixed a determined gaze on Dirk,

"If there's one thing I learnt from you is to be honest. So honestly Dad, the only thing I'm sorry for is for losing my temper with you. I went to the ranch to help a friend, I attacked you because you purposely lied to me, I attacked Luin out of anger because I knew he could handle it and as for your front door, well…you can blame Luin for that."

Dirk stared at Lloyd before shaking his head,

"We definitely raised you right." Dirk walked up to Lloyd and held out a pack that contained numerous items.

"What's all this fo-" Lloyd asked but before he could finish Dirk raised a hand to silence him,

"You want to go on the World Regeneration Journey correct?" He didn't wait for Lloyd's furious nodding before continuing, "Here's a pack of gels, antidotes, a map of Sylvarant and a key crest for ya' friend. Oh and here."

It was then that Dirk presented Lloyd with two new swords. Lloyd gingerly took the new weapons and examined them before setting them on his belt. He pulled Dirk into a hug before letting go and looking at the man who had raised him for the past fifteen years of his life.

"I'm gonna miss you dad." Lloyd said as he began to back away,

"Aye…I'll miss ya' too and always remember Lloyd, I'm always your father, regardless of blood and this is always your home." Dirk said.

"Thanks Dad. For everything." Lloyd said before turning and running into…Genis?

"Genis? What're you doing here? Why so out of breath?" Lloyd asked his elven friend.

"Where have you been?!" Genis asked in a manner that had Lloyd on full alert.

"I just got up and was about to go to the village to join Colette on her journey. Dad was able to make the key crest for Marble!" Lloyd said happily as he showed the device to his unenthused friend.

"Yea that's a good plan except Colette left two hours ago and you…never…showed!" Genis yelled, jabbing a finger into Lloyd's chest with the last three words.

"What do you mean? She told me she was leaving…at noon…she lied to me…" Lloyd said to himself, the truth becoming awfully clear to him.

"She never wanted us to come on the trip with her…" He whispered.

Genis looked back to the village and gasped,

"Lloyd! Look! Is that smoke!?" Genis asked.

"Yea it is…and it's coming from the village!" Lloyd yelled. He turned to Dirk,

"You two go, I'll go fetch Luin and send him to back you up."

With that, Lloyd and Genis ran with all their might through the forest, weaving their way in and around the trees to get to Iselia. Luin made sure to keep Genis in great shape, even if he was a scholler. Therefore, even if he was somehow unable to cast magic he would easily be able to escape any situation. So he was easily able to keep up with his athletic friend. They reached the village and their mouths fell open. There were bodies lying on the ground. Houses were set aflame. People ran screaming to hiding spaces, out of burning buildings or away from Desians. There was only one word that could describe it.

Chaos.

Lloyd and Genis couldn't move, their mind's numbed by the implications of what was happening. The Desians had invaded Iselia, they're killing people, their friends. Lloyd looked down to his feet and immediately regretted it. Genis followed his gaze and his blood ran cold. There at their feet lied the tiny body that was Tiffany. She was in Genis and Lloyd's grade. She was only eight years old, her birthday was next week. Her unseeing gaze permanently burned a hole into the boy's mind, making sure it would never be forgotten. Slowly Lloyd bent down to one knee and closed Tiffany's eyes, giving her the appearance of sleep. Genis had tears streaming down his face, his knees trembled and he dropped. Unable to understand or maybe refusing what was happening.

"She was only a child…" He whispered, "Not that much younger than me…why Lloyd…why!?" Genis looked up to Lloyd, desperate for an asnwer, for anything.

Lloyd didn't answer, he couldn't' say anything. All he could do was kneel there and cry. He felt so…useless. Suddenly they heard a yell,

"Hey you human fith! What're you sitting there for! If you don't want to end up like that piece of trash, then get into the village center! Or would you rather die!?" The Desian said as he lifted a crossbow and took aim.

Lloyd felt the rage flood his body and went to move for his swords but before he could do anything an Icicle appeared and skewered the Desian in a magnificent crimson display. Lloyd's eyes widened at seeing this but what surprised him even more was Genis. He was standing with his arm pointing forward at the Desian….and he was completely calm. His face was stone, his features revealing nothing about the undying rage that bubbled and boiled beneath the surface. Beneath his icy composure, Genis was a volcano ready to erupt. Genis turned to Lloyd and he could practically feel his insides go cold.

"You were going to charge at him weren't you?" Genis asked calmly. Lloyd nodded and Genis looked at Tiffany,

"You can't lose your temper that way Lloyd, you'll end up like…her. We have to survive this so we can hunt down and kill the bastards responsible for this." Genis said angrily, some of his emotion seeping through the cracks in the ice.

Lloyd looked at Iselia then back at Tiffany. He closed his eyes and could feel his anger coursing through every fiber of his being. He could still remember Luin's words from last night,

"_That is the reason why I've trained you so hard in the art of mana control Lloyd. To prepare you to handle this delicate and dangerous power. This power is great Lloyd, but the responsibility that comes with it is far greater."_

Through a sheer force of will, Lloyd forced all of his emotions into one point in his body. In his mind's eye, he condensed, compressed all of his hatred, his anger, his sorrow into one solid entity. He was a fire with a limitless fuel. He would reduce all of these Desian bastards to ash!

Genis felt movement to his right and saw Lloyd slowly stand. Slowly, Lloyd unsheathed his new swords and looked at his once peaceful village being being burnt to the ground. He looked at Genis and no words were said because nothing needed to be said. They understood each other completely.

'No Mercy. No Compassion. Search and destroy.'

The boys began to make their way around Iselia. Any Desian who had the misfortune of crossing paths with them was either bruttaly cut down or savagely beaten/impaled/decapitated. Lloyd and Genis had become something much more than boys out for revenge, they were angels of death. It was time for judgement.

----

Meanwhile, Luin was peacefully relaxing under his favorite cherry blossom tree. Enjoying the serenity of the silence around him. No one to bother him, no one asking him to run off to do dangerous missions or help fix doors. Yes, Luin was quite content. He normally was when he was having 'Luin time'. Rain or shine he could relax under this tree for the rest of…well eternity. His ears moved as his angelic hearing picked up a cry for help. A cry for help from…Dirk? Luin didn't move, maybe if he stayed perfectly still, he'd go away.

"Oy! Luin!" Dirk cried as he got closer. He sounded out of breath.

"Hey! Wake up you big oaf!" With that, Dirk planted a well placed kick into Luin's side. Luin inwardly sighed,

'There goes Luin time'.

"_Yes Dirk what is it?" Luin asked, none too happy about his rude awakening. _

_Dirk gripped his face in his hands and guided it to the village of Iselia. Which he could see, quite clearly in fact, was on fire. _

"_Yes Dirk, Iselia's on fire. Can I go back to sleep now?" Luin said unenthused._

"_SLEEP!? The village's on fire! You have to go help Lloyd and Genis!" Dirk hurriedly explained. Luin looked at the village again before turning to his dwarven friend,_

"_They'll be fine." Luin said nonchalantly before lying back down. Suffice to say, Dirk was confused and a tad bit angry._

"_Why…are you so calm about this?" Dirk asked suspiciously. Luin smiled, oh yes, Dirk was definitely too smart for his own good._

"_You knew this would happen didn't you?" Dirk said incredulously. Luin said nothing. Dirk growled and gripped Luin by the front of his shirt._

"_What is going on down there! You know don't you!? Tell me what you've gotten my boy into!!" Dirk commanded. Luin swatted Dirk's hand away and stood up, brushing himself off. _

"_I didn't get your boy into anything. He did that all by himself. Most likely there were survaillance cameras over the ranch. So all they'd have to do is watch these devices and they'd know YOUR boy infiltrated their ranch and attacked their guards. Therefore, the only reason the Desians are attacking Iselia right now is because YOUR boy broke the Non-Aggression Treaty and they're hunting for him."_

_Dirk stood there in disbelief. _

"_You knew this…yet you did nothing, why didn't you warn him? He could be killed!?" Dirk yelled angrily, getting ready to strangle this infuriating man. _

_Luin however laughed, he raised his head and laughed so hard he thought he was going to cry._

"_Oh please Dirk. Have more faith in OUR boys will you. If it was just Lloyd I'd be a little worried but with Genis there, we have nothing to worry about. Besides" Luin looked up at the violent skies above, "Lloyd has to learn the full implications of his actions. He's not only responsible for himself anymore, he's responsible for all those around him." Luin chuckled as he felt an all too familiar surge of mana energy, "It would appaer that the real storm is occurring down below my dwarven friend." _

_Luin sat down and patted the grass besides him, "Come and sit down Dirk. The show is about to begin."_


	11. Chapter 7:Raining Blood

Legacy of Luin

Chapter 7: Raining Blood

"_Gah!" A Desian cried out as he was swiftly run through by one of Lloyd's twin blades. Lloyd roughly shoved the fool off his blade before turning and effortlessly blocking an incoming strike from another Desian. Before the Desian could move Lloyd performed a powerful horizontal slash that cut through the Desians arms and sliced the soft skin of his neck. A spray of blood was the Desians' only response before his limp body fell and joined the countless others before him, his blood mixing with the stream of blood at Lloyd and Genis's feet. _

_Genis approached Lloyd after launching another unpleasant Desian into a burning building. They noticed a congregation of people in the center of the village, in front of the entrance to Iselia. Lloyd turned to Genis,_

"_Hey I wonder what's going on over there?" Lloyd asked. Genis replied with an honest shrugg._

"_Well we better go check it out." Lloyd said and together the boys made their way over to the group of people. _

_Upon their arrival, they immediately knew something was wrong. The villagers were looking at them, some with fear but most of them with…disdain? The villagers cleared a path for them so they could be at the head of the group. When Lloyd and Genis found their way to the head of the villagers they noticed that they were surrounded. Desian foot soldiers and bowmen on either side of them. Some of them hardly moved, others smirked while others laughed at seeing the village burn to ashes. _

'_All though' Genis thought, 'The rain has reduced the fire so hopefully we'll be able to rebuild.'_

_A loud voice broke his revere,_

"_Lloyd Irving! Come forth!"_

_The owner of the voice belonged to a strange man with greenish hair. He wore an eye-patch on his eye and he wore odd clothing. Most noticeably of all was the large gold…cannon that adorned his left arm. He noticed the new arrivals and, recognizing them as the intruders he were searching for, spoke,_

"_Listen up you inferior beings! I am Forcystus, the master of the Iselian Ranch." He then pointed to Lloyd, "You! Lloyd Irving! Have been found guilty for violating the Iselian Non-Aggression Treaty. Thus! As a member of the Five Desian Grand Cardinals, I shall bestow Judgement upon you and Iselia!"_

_Lloyd could hardly believe what they were saying, he couldn't speak to defend himself. Genis on the other hand was more than ready,_

"_Are you kidding me!?" Genis yelled, he waved a hand at the Desians standing guard, "You bastards attacked us first at the Martel Temple! You guys tried to kill the Chosen!"_

_A Desian captain turned to Forcystus before laughing,_

"_Us? Attack the Chosen? It would appear as though our 'friends' are trying to kill the Chosen my Lord." _

_Forcystus ran his hand along his gold arm…momentarily lost in thought,_

"_Hmm it would appear so. Why?"_

_Lloyd's hearing picked up the conversation,_

"_Wait a sec. Are you saying you guys didn't attack the Chosen?" If they didn't attack Colette then that would mean he and Genis attacked the wrong people which would mean…_

"_They attacked because of us…" Lloyd whispered to himself in shock. Genis had reached the same conclusion minutes before and felt some of his anger give way to sorrow and guilt. He wanted to sob but he needed to be strong or else he and Lloyd would surely die here. He remembered Tiffany's corpse and the sight of seeing his Iselian home in a sea of flames and immediately he found his icy composure. _

"_No, they've always wanted to attack us. Their numbers is evidence of that." Genis stated logically._

"_But we gave them a reason to come here." Lloyd countered. _

_The silence that ensued between them was answer enough. The boys locked eyes and nodded. They made _

_this mess but they wouldn't run. They'd clean it up._

_Forcystus observed this moment before answering Lloyd's question,_

"_We have no need to reveal this information to inferior beings such as yourselves. The point of the matter is that you have been in contact with host body F192 and attacked our guards. Therefore-" Forcystus snapped his fingers and five Desians guided a giant green…thing towards Genis and Lloyd. "prepare for judgement." _

_The boys stared in horror at the misshapen figure in front of them. It was colossal, easily over 8 feet tall it may have reached 9 feet if it's massive arms weren't so heavy. They hung from the monster like weights and it wore what looked to be a tattered…prisoner uniform? The beast let out a roar as it's hands reached up and started cradling it's head. The blotchy green skin seemed slimy in appearance, spikes protruded from it's elbows and in the center of it's head was one yellow eye. _

_As Genis looked at the monster's eye, he swore he saw a flash of recognition but as quickly as it came it was gone and the beast lumbered up to him and Lloyd and with a mighty swoop of it's arm, the battle began. Genis and Lloyd jumped out the way to avoid the incoming strike, good thing too. If they had waited a second longer they would be nothing but little pancakes. Lloyd ran to the monster and performed a Sonic Thrust to it's exposed side. The monster cried and reared it's arm back but Lloyd was ready and ducked under the swing and countered with a Demon Fang before retreating to safety. _

_As the beast moved towards Lloyd, Genis launched a Fireball attack that found it's mark on the monster. It turned to Genis and dug it's hand into the ground, then releasing a battle cry it sent a shockwave towards Genis. Genis jumped out the way and countered with a quick Aqua Edge. The fight continued for quite some time, Lloyd realizing that he and Genis were tiring too quickly, made a plan._

"_Genis! We have to end this. Bring it to it's knees and when I create an opening, blast it away with the biggest Fireball you got!" Lloyd yelled._

"_You got it! Here we go, Stone Blast!" _

_The earth shifted beneath the monster's feet and sent it off balance. Before the creature could regain it's footing, Lloyd took the opportunity to perform a Tempest on the monstrosity's exposed back. It was a direct hit and the force of the action brought the beast to it's knees and before it could recover Genis ran up to the beast, pointed his Kendama at it's chest and with all his remaining mana shouted,_

"_Fireball!!"_

_Four white hot orbs of energy surged and exploded on contact with the beast's exposed chest. The monster was sent flying backwards and landed with a powerful thud, the monster let out a moan before becoming still._

_Lloyd was overjoyed at their victory and messed with Genis' hair as he said,_

"_Hah! Woop! Man I can't believe that actually worked." Genis, who was panting, turned to Lloyd and chuckled,_

"_Yea, especially since that plan came from you." Genis taunted. Lloyd pouted and crossed his arms,_

"_Hey what's that supposed to mean? My plans always work." Lloyd said but Genis just gave him a_

'_really now' look and Lloyd turned his head,_

"_Well…some of them anyway." Lloyd mumbled. _

_Their playful moment was interrupted by the Desian Captain pointing at Lloyd, _

"_Sir! They defeated the Exbula and it's just as you thought. Look my lord, he has an exsphere on him."_

_Forcystus nodded as he observed the two boys,_

"_Yes, there's no doubt in my mind. It's the Angelus Project." Forcystus stepped forward and as one the Desians began to close in on the boys,_

"_Lloyd! Give me that exsphere! It belongs to us!" Forcystus exclaimed._

_Lloyd didn't respond at first, he looked down at the shiny blue orb and began to think of his mother and the price she paid. He felt his anger coming to the surface and he made his decision. Lloyd began to breathe slowly, remembering Luin's lessons, he felt for that…other-worldly energy he felt the night before. He began to panic for a moment when he couldn't locate it but then a kind and gentle hand guided him to the energy he so desperately needed. He knew this touch, this feeling it was new and yet…it wasn't. Lloyd couldn't explain this feeling but then he heard a faint whisper,_

'_My momento to you Lloyd. This power is yours to command, use it wisely my beloved son…'_

_As quickly as the voice came, it left and as the heavenly power flooded his veins, Lloyd's eyes opened and he realized he had been staring at the exsphere the whole time. In a sad voice, he whispered,_

"_I love you mom." His eyes widened when he heard a whispered response,_

'_I'll always love you…'_

"_If you don't hand over that exsphere to us we will burn down this entire village! We'll send each and every last one of these people to the ranch! If you don't want their bloods on your hands then hand us your-" Forcystus's voice cut off as he felt Lloyd's mana increase. His eye patch began calculating this rapid rise in mana level. Forcystus's eyes widened as he saw the slight aura cover Lloyd and as Lloyd looked up and made eye contact with him thunder exploded in the heavens and lightening cascaded angrily across the sky._

'_What is this boy!? Is this the true power of the Angelus Project!?' Forcystus thought before Lloyd began speaking,_

"_This exsphere is a momento of my mother-" Lloyd held his twin swords at the ready, "Whom you Desians murdered!" _

"_Kill him! Bring the exsphere to me! I don't care if you have to cut off his hand from his corpse!" Forcystus ordered and his men descended upon Lloyd. What happened next was something Forcystus's mind could never truly comprehend._

_Lloyd moved forward and in a flurry of slashes and acrobatics, decapitated two of his men and vaulted over their bodies. He turned to parry an incoming blow and stabbed the Desian, then he swung the body around to knock over an attacking Desian and Lloyd moved on. Slowly but surely, Lloyd was felling the Desians. Forcystus couldn't believe it, his Desians were being overwhelmed…by a boy!? This made no sense! And…what in the holy name of Martel?! Three consecutive lightening strikes took out three Desians. Forcystus looked at the silver-haired elf standing aside, they made eye contact and Genis shrugged. If the boy didn't cast those attacks then who…_

_---_

_Luin laughed as he launched yet another lightening strike onto an unsuspecting Desian!_

"_Oh man Dirk! This is the most fun I've had all day! HAHAHAHA!" Luin laughed malevolently as a particularly large bolt 'happened' to almost hit Lordy Forcystus. Dirk merely stared at the crazed man sending lightening bolts at his own nephew._

"_Luin your insane!" Dirk bellowed but Luin laughed even harder,_

"_And loving every minute of it! Muhahahahaha!" _

_---_

_Lloyd continued to move and fell more Desians. He was tiring. Even with the aid of these random lightening strikes(which he somehow knew was Luin's doing) he still had a whole platoon to fight off. Lloyd saw Forcystus recovering from almost getting hit by a stray lightening bolt and mada a daring decision. A stupid, rash, daring decision, but he shrugged. That's just how he rolled. With his plan in mind Lloyd turned, aimed and performed a Tempest…heading straight for Forcystus. _

_The Grand Cardinal side-stepped the boy's attack and countered by swinging his golden arm at Lloyd. However he underestimed Lloyd's speed and his attack missed, Lloyd took the momentary opening to launch a particulary nasty Beast at Forcystus which knocked him aside into the direction of the Sages' household. Desians ran to help their lord but he waved them away,_

"_No! He is mine! Your going to regret attacking me Lloyd. Even with your newfound strength, your years too young to defeat me!" Forcystus warned._

"_Maybe but I won't give up! You will pay for what you've done here!" Lloyd yelled and with a rush of adreneline he charged Forcystus._

_Lloyd slashed at Forcystus who blocked his swords with his golden arm and with his other punched Lloyd in the face. This tactic surprised Lloyd but before he could recover Forcystus rammed his golden arm into Lloyd's chest. The wind was knocked out of Lloyd's body but he quickly performed a backward roll and stood up just in time to see Forcystus finishing a spell,_

"_Air Thrust!" _

_Immediately the air around Lloyd turned into minature blades that shredded and tore at Lloyd's body. Lloyd let out a cry of pain but as soon as the attack came it was gone. Forcystus ran up to Lloyd but Lloyd was ready and quickly perfomed a Demon Fang to knock Forcystus off balance. Before he could recover, Lloyd attacked with a Sonic Thrust but Forcystus knew this tactic and dodged the tech and with his momentum he swung his golden cannon arm into Lloyd's exposed side. Lloyd cried out in pain as he was powerfully knocked across the village into building that once housed the Halo supply shop. The bystanders winced and Genis desperately looked for a sign of movement. _

_Crumbling wood began to move and a disoriented Lloyd made his way out of the rubble and back to where the villagers stood. Lloyd shook his head and readied himself for another round but Forcystus laughed as he rejoined his Desian comrades,_

"_Your efforts are futile! Hand us the exsphere and we shall leave!" Forcystus tried to bargain but Lloyd would have none of it,_

"_Liars! You'll destroy this village anyway. I'll never hand over my exsphere to you, I'd rather die." Lloyd said finally and Forcystus smirked,_

"_That-" he aimed his golden arm at Lloyd and the villagers, and the arm opened to reveal a hidden cannon"-can be arranged." _

_The cannon was surrounded by four flaps that hid the weapon, the cannon itself had mysterios carvings on it. The carvings began to glow and the cannon began making a whining sound._

'_Shit!' Lloyd thought, 'It's going to go off…and I can't stop it!' Lloyd prepared himself to bring up a Guardian when the unthinkable happened. _

_The giant monstrosity got up and wrapped it's arms around Forcystus. One of the arms made sure to block the cannon's sights and the weight of the monster brought Forcystus to his knees,_

"_What the-" Forcystus began but was cut off when…the Exbula began to speak!,_

"_Genis…Lloyd…Please you…must…run…away!" It's voice seemed forced and ragged, it was breathing hard and yet the voice sounded so familiar to Lloyd, yet he couldn't quite place it. Genis however, knew that voice all too well,_

"_Marble…" He whispered as he stared up at the creature._

"_What?" Lloyd said as he looked at the monster again, "There's no way…"_

_Genis was absolutely sure of the voice but he couldn't find the voice to say anything, he fell to his knees. His icy composure quickly cracking,_

"_No…Marble…what?"_

_The Exbula began breathing even harder and it sounded in so much pain, a pain that HE himself had caused. Knots of guilt began twisting and forming in his soul and hot tears began to fall as he heard her dying words,_

"_Please…you must…get…away!" Then the monster turned it's one eye to Genis and with all the human emotion left in her soul she said,_

"_Genis…you were like…a grandson to me…" Another laboured breath, "Take care…may…Martel…bless…and pro…tect you always…Thank You, good…bye…Ge..nis." _

_Tears were now streaming down Genis' face as his mind worked trying to think of something, anything he could do to save her. Yet deep inside he knew the answer, there was nothing he nor anybody could do and that truth hurt more than any physical pain he could ever experience. As he watched on as her body began to glow and the mana inside her body began to rapidly increase, too rapidly to be contained, he found himself thinking back…back to the time when he first met this benevolent angel…to the time he found Marble._


	12. Chapter 8:Marble

**Yo-yo's go up and down :) Hello there one and all. I'll admit I fell off the ball with this one, totally forgot about what with life and all that fun stuff. But I remembered it the other day and I decided I'd keep it up cuz I hate when people stop updating and fail to inform you and there's nothing more I hate to be caught doing than being hypocritical. So no the story's not discontinued I just gave into laziness and other fun stuff. But this is all insignificant to the fact that I'm updating now. woop :) Um yah don't mind the wierd underling and boldness and stuff like that in latest chapters, the edit/preview thing was buggin me and I was far too tired to attempt to fix it lol but alas here we go =] Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I have never, nor will I ever own the masterpiece that is Tales of Symphonia :(**

* * *

**The Legacy of Luin**

_Chapter 8-Marble_

The day Genis met Marble was in itself pretty ordinary. It was a little over a year ago.

* * *

_Genis woke up, made breakfast for him and his sister (Martel knows if he had let her make it, he'd be dying a slow and painful death) and got ready for school. There he made fun of Lloyd, got a nudgie, same old routine. However later in the day he found that he had forgotten to pack himself some lunch. He swiftly connected his palm with his forehead,_

_"Just great. I have a test next period and I'll be hungry and tired." Genis said to himself as he sighed._

_He briefly thought about asking Rayne for lunch but then he imagined her lecturing him for it and he really wasn't in the mood. He could've asked Lloyd, however..._

_The half-elf glanced at Lloyd, watching him completely lay waste to his macaroni and cheese. Genis scoffed at this, the day Lloyd leaved any food untouched is the day the world is going to end. Though Genis did think that at one point when Lloyd stopped eating a couple years back but he was getting off track._

_He could ask Colette but…nah she way too nice and he'd hate to leave her starving. Besides he was the idiot who forgot to pack his lunch, so with a determined nod he set out to strike up conversation with Lloyd. His stomach protested in response and Genis once again found himself sighing,_

_"Today's going to be fantastic. I can just feel it." Genis muttered dryly._

_After school had ended and Genis had completed his homework, he decided to go visit Lloyd. Genis had been taking the safe path through the forest; it was a path Lloyd had showed him years ago that was relatively safe. As he was admiring the beauty of the Iselian Forest he heard some sounds coming off in the distance. It wasn't in the general direction of the Human Ranch, he always heard sounds from there but Luin always told him to ignore it and so he did._

_Feeling curious, Genis decided to investigate. He gripped his kendama and readied a spell; you could never be too careful these days. As he slowly made his way to the source of the noise his ears began to recognize the sounds he was hearing._

_Pain. Whip tearing flesh. Sobs, cries, pleas._

_Genis hid behind a tree, he was rooted to the spot. He wanted to investigate but…he didn't want to lose his life! Genis swallowed and briefly wondered what Lloyd would do. He pictured an energetic and fearless Lloyd yelling at him,_

_"Go ahead! Don't be afraid!"_

_Genis once again scoffed at this,_

_'Lloyd you're an idiot…however….your definitely right on this one.' Genis thought and with his mind made up he peeked around the tree and the sight he saw disturbed him to his core._

_He saw a pack of humans of many different ages and races. He could even feel the familiar mixture of mana that could only mean…half-elves. They were in a straight line, they were chained by their feet and hands and they were all connected. Driving them on was ten Desians, they yelled obscenities at the prisoners, spat on them and beat them._

_'There are children there for Martel's sake!' Genis' mind screamed._

_They resembled a herd of cattle being led away to their inevitable doom. It was sickening. Genis wished he could do something; anything but there was just too many of Desians and too many people where would he take them? Iselia? That would break the Non-Aggression Treaty and Iselia would be attacked and that would be,_

_"Horrible…" Genis whispered so that no one would hear him._

_Or so he thought, however a certain old lady heard him. She was dressed in a lovely blue and white dress; however it was matted with dirt, sweat and blood. She stopped walking and turned her head in his direction. Her halted movement caused the moving chain of people to be disrupted, but before she could pretend to start moving again a Desian spotted her._

_"You! What the hell are you doing! Move swine!" He screamed as he punched her, knocking her onto her face, which in turn caused some of the others to fall with her. This of course gave the Desians another perfect excuse for another beating session. On her place on the floor, the woman lifted her head and made eye contact with Genis. His breath hitched in his throat,_

_'Move! She's going to attract attention! Go!' Genis' mind screamed at him and yet he didn't move. She continued to stare at him but then smiled and mouthed to him,_

_'I'll be fine. Run.'_

_It was incredible. This simple old lady, who was obviously about to be marched to the Human Ranch, who's mouth was dripping blood was telling him that she would be fine…and she wanted him to run!? Genis gaped at her, that kind of courage was…inspiring. He nodded to her but before he retreated away he mouthed back to her,_

_'I'll be back. Live.'_

_She smiled and Genis had to admit, for a human grandmother (because really if your that old what else can you be?) her smile was beautiful. Genis carefully made his way away from the pack of slaves and when he was sure he had put some distance between them, he ran. He sprinted back to his house. As he ran back all he could think about was that smile,_

_'I'll be fine…'_

_"Dam right you will. I can't do much but I'll do something." Genis said determinedly as he ran into Iselia, an idea already forming in his head._

_He burst through the door and made his way to the kitchen, and there he got to work. He gathered ingredients and began cooking for a meal fit for a queen._

_"No. A meal fit for an angel." Genis whispered fiercely._

* * *

Genis watched as an overwhelming light began to engulf the monster, engulf Marble. Forcystus continued to struggle under it,

"Get off of me! I command you!" His commands fell on deaf ears.

As the mana began to grow to critical levels and the skin of the monster began to bulge, its yellow eye never lost sight of Genis. It watched Genis and as he stared into that eye, as he looked on as Marble was about to cease living he couldn't help but think of her smile. That beautiful smile…

* * *

_The next day Genis decided to feign sickness (he told Rayne he had a headache from all his studying) and around midday he made his way with his very important package. A backpack full of food, the best he had ever made in his entire twelve years of living. He kept his kendama on him and at the ready, the food would likely attract the attention of some monsters but he narrowed his eyes._

_He dared them to try and take his package._

_Of course nothing happened and he easily made his way around to the Iselian Human Ranch. The stench of death was tremendous. Genis had to cover his nose with his shirt,_

_'How the hell did the Desians expect people to live in this?' Genis thought but then of course the answer hit him and he felt sick,_

_'The Desians don't expect them to live at all.'_

_Genis gulped and he gripped the strap for his backpack even harder. He would do this; there was no way he was chickening out of this. So he waited and watched for any sign of that old lady, he sat there for about an hour and decided either she wasn't being let out or she was already... Genis shook his head. He had to think positive._

_Finally his patience wore off and she was led outside with some others. They 'motivated' her and some of the other prisoners to work for a bit but they had either finished their job or the Desians grew bored so they left the prisoners to walk around for awhile. The old woman slowly drifted to the edge of the Ranch where Genis was closest and sighed as she gripped the bars that kept her away from the world. Genis quickly glanced around for any sign of guards but obviously they were pretty confident that no one would be stupid enough to get near a Desian Human Ranch. Of course, on any other day they'd be right but no such luck today._

_Genis slowly made his way out the bush he was hiding behind and waved to capture the old woman's attention. She slowly moved her head in his direction and when she recognized him her eyes widened. As Genis got closer she looked around and moved closer to a column to better hide Genis from anyone's view. Genis walked up to the lifeless bars and without knowing anything else to say,_

_"Um, hi. How's um, the weather?" Genis asked timidly, however in his mind he was screaming,_

_'How's the weather!? The crap was that?'_

_Unexpectedly the old lady laughed, softly of course and she carried her gaze skywards,_

_"It is quite lovely today actually." The old woman said as she looked back at Genis, "I do believe you're the young boy from yesterday, but please you must leave. If they spot you they'll put you in here with the rest of us." She warned him with pleading eyes, brilliant green eyes that were full of knowledge and experience._

_"Um I know, but I just…How's your mouth?" Genis asked as he tried to explain why he was here._

_The woman smiled softly before fixing him with a firm stare,_

_"I may be old but my bones aren't brittle. I'm perfectly fine dear." She answered matter-of-factly_

_Genis nodded before he took off the backpack. As he began unpacking it he began to explain,_

_"That's good. Um, well it's just I saw you being beaten and I know you saw me and yet…you were still able to smile and you even tried to keep me safe, a complete stranger. It was…moving, I guess. I just, want to help somehow. So here I made all this great food and I don't really know how you'll be able to eat it all or anything but I, um…" Genis began to lose his voice as he rambled to the old woman but as he looked at her she was staring at him with an emotion he couldn't place._

_She looked at the food and suddenly tears began forming and falling down her face. Of course, Genis began to panic,_

_"Oh I'm sorry I don't know what I did but I'm sor-" Before he could continue apologizing, the old woman fell to her knees, reached her arms outside the bars and as best as she could embrace Genis in a hug. Genis slowly wrapped his arms around her frail body. They stayed like that for a moment before she let go and began wiping the tears away._

_"Thank you…I… don't really know what to say but Thank you so much…?" The old lady left the question hanging in the air._

_"Genis, my name is Genis Sage" He replied._

_The old woman smiled that beautiful smile,_

_"My name is Marble."_

* * *

The tears were cascading down Genis' face yet he couldn't find the strength or the conviction to stop them. It was obvious Marble's deformed body could take no more and in a wail of anguish, she released her mana. A brilliant light flashed, people screamed, the ground shook but all this went unnoticed by Genis because for a moment. Just for a moment.

He saw that smile.

* * *

Dirk decided that the calm breeze and lack of noise meant it was safe for him to open his eyes and take his fingers out his ears. He looked over at Luin but what he saw was…unnerving. Luin stood perfectly still, his right hand still raised as if he was about to cast another Lightening spell. His features were stock still, he didn't move. Then, just as unexpectantly, he rammed his Katz Kane into the ground and his jaw clenched,

"They used an Exbula…those dirty bastards. Damn them all." Luin whispered sadly as he gripped his Kane tightly before slowly walking towards the Dirk's house.

* * *

Genis merely knelt there as his surroundings slowly came into view, the Desians lying every which way. Forcystus was face down on the ground, his body looking horribly damaged. Lloyd sat up next to him and stood up, he stumbled a-bit but he was awake and ready. As his mind began processing sound again, Genis looked down and felt his eyes widen and his breath stop. There, merely inches away from him, was a glowing sapphire blue orb. An exsphere, but not any exsphere.

Marble's exsphere.

Suddenly it hit Genis. Everything that just happened registered and as Genis picked up that little sphere and cradled it in his hand, he felt sobs rack his body, his chest tightened and he was quite positive he was hyperventilating, but all that was insignificant to the fact that Marble was gone. He would never see her again; never see that smile again, except when it would haunt his nightmares.

"Marble...No...Nononononono!" He began screaming until all eyes were upon him, even Lloyd looked at Genis in sympathy,

"MARBLE!!" Genis screamed.

All his sorrow, his pain was evident in that cry. A cry of anguish that was carried on the wind, right to Luin's sensitive hearing. He punched the nearest tree as remorse overtook him, silent tears escaped from his eyes. Luin knew this part would be hard; the part where his son would be forced to see and feel the real world but Martel…why did it hurt so much?

Luin's' eyes narrowed. There would be hell to pay for this. Hell to pay indeed.

* * *

**Ta-da? Not bad eh all things considered hah but alas review. Free up ya mind. Lemme know what's wrong, what's right and what doesn't make any sense :) Till next time**


	13. Chapter 9:Memento Mori

**Hello again dear viewers. Put your head between your legs and hold on to your ankles! :) It's another chapter, yay! lol **

**Disclaimer: Sadly, ToS is not mine :'(**

* * *

**Legacy of Luin**

_Chapter 9-Memento Mori_

Silence. On the rare occasions that Lloyd did think, this would often be one of his passing thoughts. For something that couldn't be heard, silence was so…deafening. The explosion had ended, Genis continued to cradle Marble's exsphere and the village was in ruin. Yet, all was silent. A surreal moment of silence. Like all things however, it didn't last forever. Forcystus was getting up; well he was being helped up, after all he did just survive a pretty nasty explosion of mana. As he started to rise, everything began to register. The destruction, the pain in Lloyd's arms and finally, the sound,

"Oh Martel what just happened!?"

"Is everyone alright!?"

"You human filth! Look what you've done!"

"You'll pay for this!"

"Marble!!! Why Marble, why?!"

It was too much. Lloyd had to cover his ears for a moment. He counted to ten and slowly let sound pass through his ears again. He noticed Forcystus was on his feet albeit being supported by a Desian mage. Forcystus locked eyes with him and he viciously pointed Lloyd out,

"You! You filth! How dare you!" Forcystus said before he succumbed to a coughing fit. He weakly glared at Lloyd,

"You think you've won don't you? You couldn't be more wrong. This is just the beginning. As long as you bear that exsphere, we will always be after you, always."

Forcystus let the words hang in the air before he signaled his men to retreat.

As the Desians retreated, the citizens gathered around the two boys. Their anger was obvious and not without good reason, their accusations were fierce and their punishment too cruel for boys as young as them but something had to be done. As Lloyd and Genis were kicked out of the place they once called home, their burdens weights on their shoulders, their hearts heavier than ever before, Luin finally caught up with them.

Lloyd and Genis merely stared at Luin. Luin opened his arms and accepted their pain. He knelt down and hugged his foster son, rubbed his hair and whispered reassurances in his ear. Luin lifted Genis up with one arm and with the other he pulled Lloyd in for an embrace. There on the outskirts of the village, Luin comforted his boys. As they wept, Luin began to speak,

"Memento Mori. It's an old saying that means, 'remember you must die.'" The boys continued to cry but by the way they inclined their heads in his direction, Luin knew he had their attention,

"It reminds us that no matter how powerful we are, how invincible we think we are that death is always there, waiting. I say this to you two as a warning, don't forget that what you decide from here on out will no longer just effect you, your decisions will ripple like a pebbles hitting still waters, affecting many people in the process."

Luin paused for a moment to look at the skies, which were clearing up. The rain had become a mild drizzle. At this point he had put Genis back on the ground and Lloyd stood on his own, staring intently at his exsphere.

"What you guys did at the ranch, well, it was pretty damn stupid." As he said this Genis' hands balled into tight fists,

"But, it was definitely the right thing to do. Sometimes the smart thing to do and the right thing to do are two completely different choices. As you two both saw, there are consequences to making the right choice. One must always have the strength to stand by one's decision, to fight for it in earnest. That is all I have to say about that."

Luin stared at the two of them before sighing and ruffling their hair.

"Well, I'll tell ya one thing. You boys definitely made me proud today." Luin said, Lloyd chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck and Genis weakly smiled at him,

"Don't think about it too much Genis, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. So come on, let's go."

Lloyd cocked his head to the side as Luin began walking away,

"Where are we going bro?" asked Lloyd curiously.

Luin stopped a couple feet away and turned his head and he beamed,

"Well first off, we're going to Dirk's to get you all packed up and ready to go. Then, I'm taking you guys to work. Its 'take-your-son-to-work' day!" Luin announced excitedly.

Genis brows furrowed before asking the obvious,

"You're kidding right?"

* * *

Turns out Luin wasn't kidding. Genis was hardly surprised and Lloyd just laughed about it. It had been two days since they left Iselia; they had just reached the midway point. A House of Salvation in the middle of nowhere could be so useful sometimes. The sun had set awhile ago and Luin had the boys spar before they decided to go to bed.

As Luin watched the boys train (after-all he couldn't have his boys growing slack in their respective areas of combat) he began to ponder about Genis.

He was obviously showing great signs of improvement, last time Luin had seen him he was just learning how to manipulate mana in ways other than magic, using it to slightly alter nature to his whims, a random shake of earth here, a useful gust of wind there. You know the little things. Now he was trying to impale Lloyd with an Icicle and his control of mana was scary good. Of course, the exsphere he equipped helped a lot with that but still, Genis' talent is evident.

Yet Genis himself was stone. Since the Iselia incident, Genis' heart had become shrouded in ice. He hardly smiled, only to humor Lloyd or himself and when he chopped carrots for their soup, well, Luin kind of felt sorry for the carrots. It was understandable yet disheartening. Luin had a gift for Genis but the way Genis acted now, he wouldn't be able to handle such an amazing power, not in the way the old Genis would have and time was running out. So Luin figured it was time for daddy to work his magic and how would he do that one might ask. Luin scoffed,

"Kick his little half-elf ass, that's how."

Satisfied Luin got up and interrupted the boy's training session,

"Alright boys, that's enough. Lloyd you can go to sleep now if you want, I want to spar with Genis a-bit before we head in for the night." Luin said while nodding at Genis who nodded back. Lloyd merely sat down on the side,

"Nah I'm not that tired and besides I've always wanted to watch you two spar." Luin pinched the bridge of his nose,

"Lloyd I'm sorry but I don't have the time to put up with your obliviousness, I want to fight with Genis alone. Go to bed. Now." Luin said as he fixed Lloyd with an even glare.

"Ok, ok geez. Hey! I'm not that oblivious!" Lloyd wined as he got up and headed inside for the night. Luin merely chuckled and shook his head,

"Martel, I feel sorry for Colette and any other girl unlucky enough to fall for that kid. I know rocks more observant than him."

A weak chuckle surprised Luin as he turned back towards Genis,

"Yea I know what you mean." Genis turned to face Luin now, "So what's the real reason you want us to be alone." Genis inquired.

_'Ever observant I see.'_ Luin thought before smiling innocently,

"Why whatever do you mean? I just want a simple spar with my foster son." Luin responded.

"Right." Genis said before assuming a defensive stance, but it was then he noticed Luin wasn't equipping his Katz Kane,

"I hope you're not making the mistake of underestimating me dad." Genis warned as Luin continued to smile,

"I hope you're not making the very same mistake son." Luin warned evenly.

Genis frowned before focusing a simple fireball. He held it at the ready for the moment Luin would attack but Luin merely stood there, hands behind his back.

_'Hmmm. How to start…ah, that'll work.'_ Luin thought before putting his plan into action.

"Hurts don't it? Bringing pain to the people we love?" Luin watched every movement Genis made, he noted it all. The slight widening of the eyes, his tightened grip on his Kendama, the way his nose flared. Genis narrowed his eyes,

"Fireball!" Genis shouted as three powerful fireballs sped towards Luin. Luin easily avoided the fireballs as he continued speaking,

"I'll take that as a yes. You don't have to beat yourself up about it Genis, sometimes that's just how life works, we try to help out and only bring pain upon ourselves."

Genis speed with the kendama picked up as he began casting his spells faster,

"Aqua Edge."

Genis said as he launched four shards of water at Luin who went to move out the way but as he was moving the earth beneath his feet briefly shook and he lost his footing. As a result a shard of water slapped him in the face. Luin recovered quickly but saw that Genis was already casting his next spell,

"I know this. That's why I'll get stronger. So I won't be a burden to anybody and I can save everybody!" Genis shouted as he launched a Stone Blast in Luin's direction.

"Oh really? That's your plan? At what cost? Are you going to give up your happiness just so you can grow stronger? You can't save everybody Genis." Luin said gravely as he avoided the Stone Blast and decided to move on the offensive.

He launched himself towards Genis and took a swing with his fist towards the half-elf but a gust of wind pushed Genis out of his reach. As Luin recovered he saw the pain in Genis' eyes but also determination.

"If that's what it takes then yes. I'll deny myself the luxury of emotion if it means I have the power to save everyone." Genis said quietly as he launched a Fireball spell point blank at Luin.

Genis' word's touched Luin and awoke a slumbering rage. Sacrifice happiness for power? That sounded so familiar. As Luin brought up a Guardian to protect himself from the spell the answer came to him and his face became stone. Those words sounded exactly like something Kratos would say. Well, not exactly, Kratos was more along the lines of sacrificing anything to get the job done but still. The ideology was the same and it angered Luin.

No. He refused to have his boy settle into that mindset.

As the smoke cleared Luin lunged at Genis before he could bring up a next spell and punched him in the cheek. However Luin was astonished when Genis' body didn't move, only his head was tilted and ice began to envelop Luin's hand where it laid against Genis' cheek,

"Don't. You. Ever. Say something so stupid EVER again!" Luin shouted.

Genis' eyes widened, he had never actually witnessed his dad upset before. He only ever heard about it and the stories he heard were quite unnerving.

"Deny yourself happiness?! Dammit! What is with you people and this stupid practice of sacrificing something. Damn it all Genis you're supposed to be the smart one here!" Luin continued ranting. However he failed to notice Genis' narrowed eyes or the ball on the kendama moving.

"You can't begin to imagine how disgusted I am that you would even think of that. That kind of thinking…" Luin shook his head, "It isn't worth the price. I'm sure wherever she is; Marble would be disappointed in you."

Genis grip on the kendama tightened and before Luin could realize his mistake, Genis snapped,

"Don't you dare talk like you knew her!! Aqua Laser!" Genis pointed the kendama at Luin and an explosion of water hit him and sent him airborne. Luin landed on his back some feet away and moaned.

Genis wasn't done yet,

"What else should I do huh!? Because of me, we got caught at the Ranch. Because of me, Marble as killed. Because of me, we were, we were…exiled." As he whispered the last part Genis' fell to his knees and cradled his head in his hands.

"I'm so stupid."

Luin frowned and walked up to Genis and put his hand on his shoulder,

"No. Your only human, well part human but you know what I mean. You make mistakes like the rest of us and you hurt just like the rest of us. Denying yourself those feelings doesn't make you more powerful, or a better person, it makes you a monster."

Genis lifted his head to look at Luin as he continued,

"Don't let yourself fall into that darkness, you're too good for that. Remember me; remember you have Lloyd and the rest of your friends. We'll laugh with you, we'll cry with you so don't worry. You'll be fine kiddo. Just, promise me you'll stop thinking like a machine, you know how boring it'd be if I have to rely on Raine for jokes. She has such a dry sense of humor."

Genis laughed at the joke, it's the first time in awhile he's laughed this hard,

"Raine has a sense of humor?" Genis joked and this made Luin laugh as he hauled Genis up off his knees,

"Good point."

Father and Son; they returned to their beds cracking jokes about Raine and her lack of humor and cooking skills.

* * *

Luin stood over Genis as the boy slumbered away. A quiet smile on his face. Luin smiled and looked out the window at the moon hanging overhead; it was quarter-full tonight. Luin turned his head back to Genis; he then reached into his pocket and pulled out a simple little pouch. Luin reached in the pouch and pulled out a small, round sphere. He put the object in the moonlight to get a better look at it. A beautiful round sphere the size of a small rock, or a large marble, however you wanted to look at it. It was a lovely shade of blue, the exact shade of blue as Marble's exsphere but there was an exception to this exsphere.

It was a Cruxis Crystal. Years of exsphere research and thousands upon thousands of lives sacrificed for this pretty little rock. He was disgusted with it but he had grown far too used to the idea of using exspheres and really he couldn't imagine life without them, well not yet. Luin was getting off track and he knew it. This was the reason he wanted to change Genis' mentality, so that Genis wouldn't end up like those lifeless dolts in Cruxis.

Luin slowly took Genis' hand and as gently as he could, swapped Marble's exsphere with the Cruxis Crystal he had managed to steal on his latest mission. He was supposed to report that he recovered it however Luin knew this way it would serve a much better purpose. As the Cruxis Crystal settled in and synced with Genis' mana the temperature of the room severly dropped for a moment, however it soon returned to normal. Genis shivered and rolled over. Luin chuckled to himself as he pocketed Marble' exsphere. He had the feeling it'd come in handy later on. Luin once again ruffled Genis' hair before whispering,

"Good night kiddo. Rest up; you're going to need all of it. Trust me."

Luin checked on Lloyd before heading to his bed. He couldn't sleep, naturally so he decided he'd put some thought into the next phase of his plan. Luin couldn't have anticipated the previous events even if he had foreseen them himself but they were quite convenient so he didn't complain. As Luin watched the sun rise through the window the following morning he couldn't help but sigh.

Today was going to be a long day.

* * *

**Well there's chapter 9. Not much to say really so I'll see you guys laterz :) Till next time**


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